"Begin?"
Qi Zixie was still a bit unsure of their true purpose within the Grotto. She knew that Yuan Zhen had a method to grow stronger using the bane-devils, but she did not know what.
Yuan Zhen nodded, looking around.
"In that direction, there's a number of large trees, all of them releasing powerful poisonous energy. I assume there are some powerful Bane-devil spirits over there."
She looked at where he was pointing, barely seeing the silhouette of some tall trees in the distance. Though it was dark, a ghastly light just barely illuminated the area.
"As for you, you'll be strengthening your martial arts in the area just before the blood lake. It's a bit further south."
When he had said this, surprise flashed in her eyes. "You mean we're splitting up?"
"Yes, we'll be splitting up. You need to work on your strengths and slowly eradicate your weaknesses. There's only so much I can do for you. You know yourself best, and thus can forge a path ahead in your unique road of cultivation. Only you can do that."
Yuan Zhen had some degree of faith in her, confident that she could do it. She saw it in his eyes, and smiled. That confidence affected her, giving her an added boost of assurance in herself.
"Alright."
"Good, I trust you'll come back to me, Lieutenant," he said with a small smile, fangs peeking out.
"I will, Lord Yuan."
As Qi Zixie got up to leave, he started walking as well but stopped and turned his head.
"Oh, one more thing."
Qi Zixie halted her steps and turned herself around to face him. "What is it, my Lord?"
Seeing his face had gone from soft to stern, she listened closely to what he was about to say.
"Do not wander beyond the blood lake. That lake acte as a border between the outskirts and the depths of Bane-devil Grotto. You are not strong enough to go there. Is that understood?"
Qi Zixie sensed his concern and nodded, "Yes, sir. I understand!"
"Good. Go well, Zixie."
"You as well, Lord Yuan."
The two parted ways once more, moving toward separate areas in the Grotto.
The sky was perpetually darkened in this area, but the land had an odd red glow, ensuring it was never pitch black.
With so many trees also emitting violet energy, it gave the land the look of a wasteland of death, which it was.
With every step Yuan Zhen took, he could feel the sorrowful aura embedded in the earth itself. It was as if it was crying out to him, beginning him to restore it to life.
He was all too used to this atmosphere. If he closed his eyes, he would feel at home and in his element.
Yuan Zhen had survived and trained here for years, albeit in a deeper and more dangerous area. He was able to function perfectly under its harsh conditions.
As he went by, various trees wherein lesser spirits dwelled spread their energy out to him. In response to that, he smiled and kept walking, ignoring them.
As soon as the toxic energy reached him, it faded away, unable to do anything to him.
However, he would not let them get away with attempting to harm him. In the split second that the energy touched his body, his own energy would reach out and suck it all in, spirit and all.
His soul instantly eradicated the spirits, then he pushed all their spiritual power toward his core.
As a Beast, his core contained the essence of his soul. Pouring the spiritual power in there would strengthen his own soul.
"Not enough... I guess I'll really have to trouble those older spirits to help me out... Heh!"
When he laughed, he smiled. This smile, in the netherworld-like Grotto, was as if a coldhearted, slaughtering Devil-God had appeared, taking pleasure in punishing all life.
His exposed fangs had a tint of red on them, giving them a fierce and bloodthirsty aspect.
He had suddenly felt that, as he continued absorbing bane-devils, his soul was giving off a feeling of undergoing a change. However, each time it felt like it was about to change, that feeling would go away.
Before long, he had consumed fifty souls yet was still unable to cause any change.
Soon enough, the lesser Bane-devil spirits in the trees stopped attacking him. Sensing what he was doing to their comrades, those weak spirits knew that they weren't a match for him.
Further along were nine tall trees, withered yet still thrumming with a powerful energy. They stood just a few feet apart from each other.
Seeing them gathered like this, he guessed that they were a group of bane-devils cultivating their spiritual energy.
These kinds of bane-devils were able to transcend normal logic and cultivate despite not having physical forms.
What made them even more dangerous was the fact that they were in a group.
It was impossible to deny that, as an individual, your power was limited. However, a group of like-minded and powerful allies could bring forth almost limitless power.
This was because they supported each other, and, if they did it well enough, could make up for the weaknesses of others.
The power of a group of cultivating spirits could, quite possibly, be devastating. However they could not change the fact that they were bane-devils; they were souls in essence.
Yuan Zhen gathered his energy, preparing to explode with his full power at any time.
In that moment, he also sent his perception outward to make contact with one of the trees in the middle.
"Hm? Who is it?" A hoarse and elderly voice caused the tree to rumble.
"Oh? A young Beast. Look, brothers. A young Beast has come to chat."
That tree then called out to his companions, awakening them all from their dormant state.
"Hmph! A mere child thinks he can venture into our territory and disturb our meditation?"
"Could it be a descendant of that Yuan Zhen come to emulate his ancestors actions?"
"Shut your mouth! That beast had no descendants! Even if he did, they would make sure they were all killed."
"Don't say his name, you fools!"
"Heehee! Yuan Zhen? No one could repeat that devil's actions! Especially not some brat! Let's properly welcome him to the Bane-devil Grotto, Brothers."
"Yes, let us properly accommodate our guest."
Hearing their bickering, Yuan Zhen let out a breath and folded his arms behind him.
"Are you done talking? Don't you know actions speak louder than words?"
Like a bored child, he looked at them as if they were lifeless toys he had long grown tired of playing with.
In truth, he was entirely bored of bane-devils and the Grotto itself. He would have never come back if not for two things: the mysterious forbidden zone and the fact that his soul needed strengthening.
"Oh? You want us to act?"
Spiritual energy instantly flowed out of each of the nine trees, gathering into one massive image of a spear.
That violet spear tilted and rotated, stabbing toward Yuan Zhen in less than a breath's time.
"Accept our welcome, then!"
That spear was many times larger than Yuan Zhen was, and behind it was an incredible force that sent gale force winds flying in every direction.
Still, he wore that bored and unsurprised look on his face. He brought one of his hands forward, a dark violet flame igniting in it.
With a simple wave, he sent the flame into the tip of the spear.
As soon as the flame met that spear tip formed of spiritual energy, it devoured it, erasing that energy.
Yuan Zhen was shocked in his heart; he did not expect the dark violet flame to perform as well as it did.
"What? Just a simple flame?"
"How could it be a simple flame!? Look what it did!"
"Interesting. We can't take this kid lightly. Look, he isn't even bothered by the poison."
"So it seems. Brothers, let's just take him."
"Agreed."
Yuan Zhen stood by and said nothing, letting them discuss their next move.
While harming the trees wouldn't harm the bane-devil spirits directly, it would draw them out and force them to fight. They would have no time for planning then, as they would be fearing for their fragile lives.
However, as he wasn't impatient, he wouldn't do this. He would use them to properly test what he had in mind.
This time, a pure black mist emerged from all nine trees. The spirits were coming out, presenting themselves in their ghostly forms. The trees seemed to be sucked dry of any energy, which meant that they were bringing their entire selves out to meet him.
Floating before Yuan Zhen were now nine black spirits without a permanent form. Their smokey appearances danced and contorted, bending this way and that. A deathly aura covered their bodies in thick miasma, which was essentially just their natural poison.
Bright violet eyes appeared on those spirits, looking like raging flames, eternally flickering.
Yuan Zhen wore an imperceptible smile as they appeared, put he pulled the shawl up over the lower half of his face. In his years of being in the Grotto he had seen a few similar sights.
To preserve their lives, stronger bane-devils would sometimes split themselves into soul fragments. These fragments would all possess the will of their complete self.
They would hide from the enemy, then slowly return to each other and reform. The rarest situation was for a fragment to become its own 'person.'
An even rarer occurrence was for nine fragments to achieve this.
The spirits before him were now possibly even more powerful, overall, than their complete self. Despite that fact Yuan Zhen was, of course, uncaring.
"Commendable of you to not run, but foolish nonetheless."
Those spirits then sprouted several arms which they used to form various symbols. Seeing those symbols, Yuan Zhen could vaguely guess what they were about to do.
His energy was producing a formidable aura even without him releasing it, awaiting his summons to release its power.
A glimmering light shone on their bodies, coming together to brighten the area.
Yuan Zhen's eyes narrowed when he saw this, realizing what they were about to do.
"Merging spirits? You're going to become one spirit?"
Hearing him say this, one of them responded with a laugh, "Kikiki! You're damn right. I'm surprised you know this, but it won't matter."
"Oh really? Why's that?" He was unimpressed, but he decided to humor them.
"Us nine were originally part of one soul. A brat like you wouldn't know, but long ago our King was brutally attacked by Yuan Zhen. Before he could perish, he managed to hide away his soul in these very trees."
This surprised him, but only a bit.
He obviously knew of the King they were referring to. It was someone he had personally dealt with after all.
Back then, he had sensed that the King wasn't completely eradicated, but he was in no mood to correct that.
At that time he had been in a hurry to ... respond to nature's call.
Either way, some weakling didn't truly concern him. He had been able to defeat that King when it was at its strongest.
Even if it did survive, it was fated to always lose to him. However, this was a different scenario.
The nine sprits gathered together, forming a swirling vortex of black mist and violet energy. Bright red light began to shine before flashing in an explosion of crimson rays.
When the lights finally dimmed, a single giant spirit silently levitated above the ground.
"So, you are that King's soul fragments and just happened to gain your own individuality. What was his name... I remember him making a big deal of announcing it... Crimsonwave or something?"
Yuan Zhen taunted, awaiting their attack.
"You... You know the King's name? Were records kept? That bastard, Ji Xie. He lied to us!"
Yuan Zhen's interest was piqued. In that moment, he decided just how he would deal with the giant spirit before him.
"No. I know because I'm the one who killed him. I'm Yuan Zhen."
His words evoked immediate laughter from the Bane-devil giant.
"To think you would dare say such nonsense. Yuan Zhen is dead. He has to be dead."
"You've got guts kid. You haven't fallen into despair just yet. Sadly, that won't save you."
"Twelve Poisons Diagram!"