After Lixue finished 'extorting payment' from the first 4 servants, he left them half-dead. He picked one random person and planted a sliver of his demonic energy into his heart before leaving the room.
He visited every room and collected every debt. Each time, he left all the servants half-dead and planted his demonic energy into the heart of one of the people inside.
He spent more than 3 hours before appearing at the building's front door. He walked out with light steps full of satisfaction. He stopped 20 meters away from the building and turned back.
He took a deep breath and stretched out his arm, gesturing at the building.
"My lord, please accept this subject's offering of 200 impure wicked souls."
He snapped his fingers. Instantly, every person who was planted with his demonic energy combusted. The fire quickly spread in the room and burned the other people inside.
The agonizing screams of the people inside gave him double the ecstasy as abundant power flowed into his soul. It made him tremble in pleasure as he could feel his soul completing the demonization process.
Yes, these 200 servants were sacrifices for him to level up.
There are 4 classes in demonic power classification. Half-demon, demon, high-rank demon, and archdemon. Typically, demons would start at demon level and only a few cases like him would start at half-demon level.
Each class has 3 levels that are low, middle, and high. If you started from low-level half-demon class, you would need 5 souls as offerings to level up to mid-level. From mid-level to high-level would need 10 souls. And from high-level half-demon to a low-level demon would need 100 souls. Continuing like this, each level up would need 10 times more souls than the last level up offerings.
As the class name suggested, the demon's soul upgraded each class up. Lixue is now a full-fledged low-level demon.
At the same time, at the palace's back garden, another half-dead body combusted and burned down all the plants around her. It was the body of the servant who came to smear the torturous ointment earlier but instead got the honor to test the ointment effectiveness herself.
When the servant was in a half-conscious state from the pain, Lixue easily seized her consciousness and manipulated her. Unfortunately, his power at that time could only reach a few distances away from his room and could only reach the garden. If not, he would already send her to the empire's plantation.
If the soil was burned with his Wrath Flame, which was a branch type of Hell Fire, the soil would be permanently ruined, and nothing could be grown there even if they try to modify it with genetic manipulation.
But he could do it later when he's leaving this cage. He could burn down one or two facilities that were crucial for the empire's development along the way.
Yes, he was leaving this majestic yet hellish cage. Of course, it didn't mean he gave up his revenge. But he really didn't want to stay in this cage a second longer.
It wouldn't be polite to leave without a farewell gift, right?
In addition that there were no guards at servant accommodation, the surveillance cameras were interfered with by Lixue. Because of this, the fire at the servant accommodation was only noticed when the fire had become out of control and all the servants inside were burned until no residue remains.
The palace guard immediately notified all personnel. Alarm blared around the palace waking up the royal family and other guards that weren't on duty. The Head of security and Captain of the palace guard quickly divided their work when they got another report that the garden was also on fire.
They hastily deployed the fire-suppressing robots and activated the fire suppression system. But whatever they did, the fire couldn't be extinguished.
The security personnel escorted the royal family outside into a safe distance.
Lixue leisurely watched all the chaos from the sky. Now that he was a demon, he gained the ability to fly with the help of wings. On his back was a pair of bat wings. It was quite eye-catching, so he flew quite high to avoid being seen. He could fly without wings when he became a high-level demon.
The people below him looked like ants. He wondered whether those people could step on him as they like because he looked like an ant to them. So little, so insignificant, so powerless. No, maybe they didn't even see him as a living being. Only a convenient punching bag and someone to make them feel superior.
Hate, envy, jealousy, fear. All that brewed in this furnace with him as the target. Well, he must say they successfully produced an appropriate final product. A demon.
With his demonic eyes, he could see the second prince and princess, his uncle and aunt; the first lord, his older cousin; the second lady, same-ade cousin; and the third lord, his younger cousin.
Not that he was willing to accept them or call them that. And the feeling was mutual.
Deep hate oozed out of his whole being that the fire below was affected, suddenly blared stronger as if it would swallow everything around it in rage.
Lixue snapped his fingers and not 5 minutes later, the inside of the palace main building was on fire from top to bottom.
Whatever they did was futile and could only watch resignedly the palace burned down. Moreover, they needed to retreat back to a safe distance where the royal family was at to avoid getting burned.
In his past life, the king, who was recuperating on another planet, passed away 3 months later and gave the throne to the second prince. Then, he was plotted against and was framed with treason. The new king threw him into the dungeon where he was tortured night and day in the name of extracting (the non-existent) information from him and to make him confessed.
He wondered whether the news that the palace burned down would aggravate his illness and make the king passed away faster. Well, that wasn't the main goal.
What was certain, knowing that irresponsible and incapable king, he would almost immediately give the throne to the second prince like it was a hot potato. He wouldn't want to deal with this huge damage.
Not to mention…
Lixue rubbed the metal bracelet on his wrist amusedly.
"Pfft!! Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!!" he broke into laughter.
He really wanted to see those damned royalty's reaction when they found out what he took as his farewell gift. Just imagining it already made him laugh.
Speaking of farewell gifts, he should also give one himself, right?
Right… he should also pay a visit to the plantation and Science and Technology Research Center (STRC) now that he could fly.
He glanced down and saw Dr. Sean standing next to the royal family. It seemed like they were talking about something. Though he could see, his hearing wasn't as superior.
He closed his eyes and connected the link to the demonic energy he left at Dr. Sean's consciousness when the doctor was treating him.
Like this, he could see what the doctor was seeing, could hear what the doctor was hearing, could even feel what the doctor was feeling. It was a simple yet very convenient technique. Of course, it has a distance limit.
When he went to another planet later, he wouldn't be able to use it.
"Where is that stray dog? Did he die in the fire??" he heard the second lady spoke.
Dr. Sean felt uncomfortable by her remark. How could she talk about someone's death with such ease and even contempt?
"Wasn't he unconscious? He's probably dead." The third lord shrugged.
Dr. Sean opened his mouth but closed it again. A few hours ago, Lixue visited him, so he was already awake. He was about to tell them but stopped himself. It would be best if Lixue managed to run away in the midst of this chaos. If he really died… it might also be better than keep living and being tormented in this palace.
"That would be the best outcome," The second prince smiled maliciously, "Fortunately, we didn't publicize his existence. Now the nuisance is gone, the throne is guaranteed to be mine. Heaven must be on our side."
Lixue gritted his teeth and frowned at the second prince's last sentence. His face was dark and full of hate. The fire below suddenly flared up and sent out a strong heatwave, reaching the people in the safe area. They instinctively covered their face with their hands and arms which instantly stung from the heat.
Then, he suddenly smiled.
Right. Because heaven is on your side, he sided with the devil to go against heaven. To defy God himself.
"Father, this degree of damage, I'm afraid the empire's current savings won't be sufficient to rebuild all of these exactly the same." Lixue heard the first lord spoke.
"It's fine. We still have the treasury full of priceless items and artifacts. Just sell them. There's also the armory. We can make deals with the military. They would certainly want those weapons with the latest technology."