Ryuk took out a pill and handed it to Black and said, "Here eat. This pill took so much effort. Literally ten explosions happened before it finally worked."
Black inspected the pill which had demonic qi pulsating and said, "A plain grade level 3 High quality Black heart pill. It is able to reproduce the light of an inspiration and trap a fragment in the soul allowing on to increase their permanent understanding. This pill has a 1% chance of being made even with skilled Alchemists who have studied the Tao of medicine their whole lives. How did you?"
Ryuk said, "Ai. Just eat it. Anyway it's not the real thing. I had to remove and replace some stuff. The effects only a little diluted, but still."
Black said loudly, "Not the real thing? Any race even the saints would fight for this like it meant their entire life. Blood would rain upon the heavens. Brothers would kill brothers and wives would kill husband's. Their would be an all out blood bath for a single pill. Furthermore if this was to be known you would be captured your soul stolen and analyzed and you would end up becoming a pill servant making pills for them from morning to night."
Ryuk said loudly and arrogantly, "Hmph. You think the heavens scare me? The saints? I will conquer them all. Anyway that saying brothers would kill brothers and wives kill husband's. I would never accept anyone like that so it's fine."
Meanwhile in Ryuks head he was screaming, "What? This pill is that fucking scary? Omg I thought you know it would be popular, but not to that kind of level. I mean it's not really heaven defying. Fuck, I should have just kept it. No, no I saw Blacks feelings before he won't betray me suprisingly. My golden eyes and can see ones heart completely and it said that Black has Absolute loyalty which I was shocked to find."
Ryuk sat proudly while Black looked from the pill onto Ryuks back. He smiled and ate the pill.
Ryuk himself had a dark expression and thought he needed to be much more careful.
Yes in Cultivation Ryuk may be a genius able to string a few loose threads and understand existence, but in other things he was basically a fool. He was tricky or manipulative, he knew the bare basics of survival. Keep your trump cards pressed closely to your chest, never reveal your true power. Yet his own desire for profit sometimes disregarded that very notion. Ryuk in the end wasn't a plotting type of person, but he did know one survival skill. Never sow karma. Lets say you have a friend and that friend has a friend. Now your friend's friend has a father who dies. Now not only is your friend's friend and his family affected, his friends and everyone else around them. Including your friend. Then your friend's family and friends and that means you. Now you are affected and everyone you love is affected. It's a ripple effect and Ryuk knew how dangerous it was.
Ryuk took out some metals while Black was digesting the pill.
Ryuk used a earth flame crystal to smelt and forge a metal puppet. He began to write inscriptions with Golden Coral hair which enhanced it's defence and attack. In fact Ryuk had learnt Puppet arts from the soul of the Spirit Emperor. He had seen brief flashes of memories in which the Spirit Emperor led his army of metal puppets and conquered a majority of the Spiritual realm.
Ryuk had made the puppet with various powerful metals he had extracted from the Spirit Emperors special world using the metal law. He had also used powerful woods and elemental crystals. The puppet had a combative strength comparative to a truth sage and a physical power even more powerful.
Ryuk had dressed the metal puppet in skin and then further used inscriptions to keep it fresh.
It looked like a completely ordinary old man at first glance. Ryuk gave the puppet some old clothes and it looked like nothing more than an old servant from it's attire to it's temperament.
Black soon awoke and although suprised about the Puppet for a while after hearing Ryuks explantation he understood.
Black asked, "So with the World core from the Spirit Emperor what are you going to do? To be honest one develops a World core when one becomes a Pain king. That's why they have things called King domains where they rule over everything. It's only that once one rebirths their state of existence changes. A general stage Cultivator has to demonstrate their truths through battle and real life thus enhancing the world into a galaxy core and then finally when one conquers and becomes an Emperor stage Cultivator their core becomes a Universe core. It's basically the same anyway."
Ryuk said, "The same? A world core is a demonstration that ones truth can become a law, to become a galaxy and Universe core is a demonstration of the competency of that law to handle a more severe burden. It's a small change, with a gigantic meaning. About that thing one has to conquer when one becomes an Emperor, it really is kind of unfair no?"
Black nodded, "Yeah, some people have to conquer fears. Some have to conquer their loves. Some have to actually conquer. It's really weird and I don't know how we are judged."
Ryuk nodded his head, a bit curious, a bit fearful.
Ryuk stood up suddenly he whispered, "You sense that?"
Black brows creased and he said, "Hm. A strong person has come. Not a truth sage, not a pain king. A rebirth stage practitioner."
Ryuk said, "Think he's close by?"
Black shook his head, "No. A rebirth stage Cultivators pressure spreads out for ten thousands of kilometers. The closer one is the more horrible it is."
Ryuk said, "Must be either a vampire or an elder from the demonic sect Purple sage was from."
Black said, "Could be, but it doesn't make sense. If it was a vampire the pressure on us would be hundreds of times worse. It can't be a demonic Cultivator I mean I don't sense any demonic qi. Furthermore from the qi vibrations it must be a newly ascended one."
Ryuk laughed grimly, "The pressures increasing quickly. What should we do? Run or seek opportunity brother?"
Black smirked, "Hehe. Obviously towards opportunity."
One would ask why would one stupidly run towards danger?
They say even the feces of a god is a celestial treasure able to make one fly like a carp who had just climbed the dregon gate. This wasn't nonsense, everything a god did was a considered world defying. Perhaps only gods singular restriction was Karma, but if one became a Saint that would also dissapear. A wave of a hand from a god can destroy hundreds of realms, a fart can bring forth 9 colored celestial lightning, a tear can drown the heavens. Although a rebirth stage Cultivator wasn't as fanciful as that, they still carried their fair share of good fortune.
There is truth even with Ryuks almighty understanding and perception he can't make bread without flour. A rebirth stages every movement, no matter how insignificant carries with it innumerable insights and knowledge. Furthermore if a Rebirth stage acts unless he is a being of death and destruction and causes no life to birth then the battleground of a rebirth stage Cultivator is a treasure trove. An ordinary lick of grass can become a incredibly valuable Spirit leaf. A rock can become a Rock spirit and can begin to cultivate. Especially some countryside like this where beasts of all kinds and flowers and herbs of many natures grow.
Ryuk and Black sped quietly through the surroundings. When the got close enough they used a magnifying array to close in and see.
They saw a young man with red flames dancing around him, wearing a golden suit of armor with dragons coiling around it painfully look down upon a village.
His eyes looked incredibly bitter and he said, "Sister Nam. I asked you to wait for me. I asked you to wait for me so why do you have a husband and child? I told you once I became strong enough to defy my clan I would come! So why?!"
Ryuk was suprised and said to Black, "Wow. It's a total love affair. I didn't think I would see such a being do that."
Black said, "Ai. It's more common than you think. Many Cultivators while climbing those tricky steps of life leave behind many regrets and promises. Sometimes it works out sometimes not. Their was once a god who after getting in a fight got injured and fled to the mortal realm. He needed to recover and by chance saw a girl who had lost both parents. He chose to become her little brother and take care of her. Then when he recovered and needed to leave he couldn't remove her memories for some reason, so to make her hate him he pretended to rape her. He didn't do anything he just pretended. She at the time had a crush on some boy and called him while the god did that. The god left, but he realized he loved her, but she had thrown him away as soon as she could. Those days when she suffered and he eased her pain, where he stood by her when no one would all lost for a simple childish crush. The god was actually a very innocent person, but that incident haunted him and he destroyed his soul. Many gods use that as a way to teach their children to not focus on love or be enticed by mortals. That's why in the heavens arranged marriage is such a huge custom. You wouldn't think a god would allow such a thing like arranged marriage, but we do."
Ryuk said, "Gods aren't exempt from this frivolous nature. It's just most gods are set through blood and death and thus treasure such things more. Mortals can't possibly understand the worth of love and kindness. Their love is too shallow and too petty. What is love? Is it attraction? Lust? No, it is placing yourself in another, willing to make a loss for another. That is love. I doubt mortals can understand that... Cough*"
Ryuk suddenly coughed up some Black blood and held his heart.
Within his heart a Black seed was pulsating violently crashing against the three intertwined seeds next to it.
Within Ryuks soul in Hell two eyes opened and unparalleled rage shot out.
Ryuk said, "Fuck! My soul just absorbed a part of Spirit Emperors soul that contained his Bloodlust and misery! That alongside this caused my heart to waver and Nothingness to awake! Fuck! Black, I will temporarily have too let you handle..."
Ryuk rolled down to the ground and roared in pain. He covered his eyes with his palms, pressing tightly against them. Ryuk coughed up Black blood and threw up.
Black sat down Ryuk and began to make various signs with his hands. A clear colored symbol rose in the air and circled around Ryuk sending calm waves of energy to cool down Ryuk.
A strange voice escaped outwards from Ryuks body, "No! I will not be trapped again! Damn you Ryuk, once I get out I'll eat your flesh and boil your soul in the flames of avarice! Just wait!"
Then it suddenly stopped being agitated as if thinking it was a waste of energy and said, "Fine, fine. Good work boy. You again trapped this deity, but lets see for how long you can handle it! When even a little bit of your mind flinches I'll be released again and I'll tear away at you!"
In Ryuks soul his ethereal self could be seen to be regenerating, but alot of his body was dim and lifeless. His soul sea was similarily quite empty. He took many deep breaths and quick exhales. He looked at Hell and said, "Damn, he nearly escaped! He's gotten stronger it seems. Nothingness you shall either kneel or die. I might not be able to do anything now, but one day you will have to choose."
Ryuk stood up in reality and wiped his mouth spitting as the bitter taste of blood and vomit retained.
Ryuk asked, "How long was I gone?"
Black replied, "9 hours. It's evening now. The rebirth stage master had destroyed his sweethearts soul and then left."
Ryuk nodded, "Ah. It's such a waste. I didn't even get to see his form at all."
Black said, "Don't bother. I noticed it and it wasn't anything important nor good. His laws were naive, his Cultivation was extremely volatile, his soul was shabbily constructed."
Ryuk said, "Hm. I could have expected. As one cultivates one naturally loses interest in mortal affairs and sentiment. If a proper rebirth stage master were to encounter the same situation unless it was extreme love or the sort their temperaments would be icy and neutral. It isn't that they aren't affected it's just that their hearts are naturally above such things."
Black agreed.
The two went down into the village which was utterly destroyed. Many were in a state of total destruction their souls, bodies and everything else shattered innumerably so.
Ryuk and Black would occasionally pick up a loose rock or stone rich in Spiritual energy.
These village people although not talented in Cultivation weren't stupid to the point of throwing away treasure. As they saw Ryuk and Black steal various items from their village that had just been attacked by what seemed like a god, rage filled them and they pounced.
Yet Ryuk simply had too look at them and they collapsed to the ground shaking in fear.
Crimson silk floated around Ryuk and a gust of blood blew his hair into the air making him seem like a celestial being dyed in war and death. An Asura or worse.
Black said suprised, "Ryuks what's that?"
Ryuk said, "My Bloodlust."
Black said, "No, no! Bloodlust is like Killing intent and is illusionary. Even once one has made big accomplishments and most it will cause the one you are facing to hear the cries of your victims. These red tendrils, I don't know what they are."
Ryuk shook his shoulders, "Does it really matter? Anyway I look cool and it serves it's purpose so I don't really care."
Black nodded, but he decided just in case for his brothers safety he would investigate this occurrence.
Suddenly Ryuk and Black both looked at each other and their eyes went wide and throats dry.
Ryuk said coldly, "A Sage is coming with killing intent directed at us. What should we do?"
Black said, "I'm sure we don't have to worry with your army, but just in case I'll go and set up an array."
Ryuk nodded, "Hm. There's still about twenty minutes till the sage arrives. In fact if I think right, this person has been following me for quite some time."
Black didn't reply working on the formation.
Ryuk waved his sleeves and a dark cloud spread out. Ryuk said, "Children go and investigate for me."
A buzzing sound replied and the black cloud dissipated.
This Black cloud were various flies and mosquitos Ryuk had tamed.
Ryuk sat down and summoned many monkeys from his ring and said, "Little one's go and pick up the treasures. You may keep every other item you find for your own Cultivation."
The monkeys bowed and went off excitedly to collect.
Except for the dragons which treated Ryuk like a god, the race he was most friendly was these monkeys.
The beasts with dragon bloodline after Cultivating in the Spirit Emperors small world and simply being in Ryuks presence had nearly all gone into hibernation to upgrade.
Ryuk also summoned Little Kun and Ryo who were very close and let them play.
If one were to think a foundation stage Cultivator was simply playing around as a Sage was coming after them, others would vomit blood.
Ryuk was of a character to never be overconfident, but after he killer Purple sage his... his self had changed.
When that roar rang out from his voice that day it was like he had removed a shackle of some kind.
Ryuk said, "Old Monkey, how is the Technique I passed onto you?"
Old Monkey was the rank 7 Audacious Monkey.
Old monkey replied, "Master this Technique 7 heaven lotus and 4 Immortal peaches is very good. I have also not let you down, I achieved small success in the first Heavenly lotus. See I can summon a lotus chariot and be like a Buddha! Hahahaha!"
Ryuk said, "Hm. I made that technique using some Buddhist concepts so of course one would feel like a Buddha You should with care continue, the Heaven Lotuses are easy, but the Immortal peaches are hard to achieve. Anyway you go and battle the one coming."
Old Monkeys appearance quickly changed, "Master you can't! I'm just a weak little monkey."
Ryuk said, "I'll give you another body supplementing technique called 9 towers technique. You will be able to catch the stars and tame the seas. Hm? Fine! I'll also throw in a flute weapon."
Old Monkey smiled and left.
Ryuk stood up about to go take a bath when suddenly his consciousness faded.
He suddenly fell down lying unconscious.
Ryo abruptly returned in a flash looking worried at Ryuk.
Little Kun said, "What's wrong with big brother?"
Ryo said, "I don't know... It seems master is upgrading, but..."
Black had also sensed what had happened and came back.
He looked at Ryuk and his brows furrowed.
He remembered only a few days ago Ryuk had become a rank 2 Devil.
Yet he was suddenly becoming a rank 3 Devil...
"No it isnt that, but rather he's enhancing..."
Ryo said, "You mean how in some races when they accomplish a certain feat or task they become more of their race or something."
Black replied, "Yes like when an Asura has made a certain amount of killing or when a Demon has become a part of a sin. Something that sperates you from the rest of your race. It's a KINGS BIRTH. For demons this just means they are a candidate for Godking, but I've never heard of a Devil King. The King of a race like the Origin beasts. Is that even possible? Are Devils actually the same race? If one undergoes a KINGS BIRTH even if they are the weakest sub race they become royalty."
Ryo looked strangely not sure.
Suddenly Ryuk started to flip around as if having a seizure.
His dim eyes became clear and he vomited blood from an internal injury.
Ryuk fainted on the ground.
Black quickly propped him up and began to send qi to help heal Ryuks internal injuries.
Yet he was suprised at the Wood laws and wood palace in his dantian had already healed him and it was just Ryuks soul that needed rest.
Old Monkey suddenly came flying from the distance. He sat on a lotus with the thin roots below holding a half dead man.
Old Monkey came close to Ryuk and knelt.
"Master, your poor servant fought tooth and nail with this human. By heavens chance and Hell's indifference I managed to win and survive. Ara? Master are you okay?"
Ryo bit the monkeys hand and said, "You damn monkey! Your trying to extort my master aren't you!"
Old Monkey said, "Young master Ryo how rude..."
Black said abruptly, "Enough. We should get going back to Ryuks sect. Leave that sage alive... I believe Ryuks KINGS BIRTH has something to do with how Ryuk killed Purple sage."
Ryo jumped up excitedly, "Of course! To become a Races King one can do it through two ways! One is loyalty and the other strength! Master must need to kill a certain amount of Sages to become the King."
Black nodded and they flew away.
Ryuk soon woke up after three days and after getting a brief description from Black and Ryo, Ryuk understood the situation basically.
He killed the sage who had many amazing materials in his ring which made Ryuks face flushed in excitement.
Soon enough Ryuk returned back to the sect.