"Haha! The spirit will remain the same as long as the refinement is controlled! I could succeed because I used my other half as the refinement material, using the memories and remnant psyche of Zhu Huan to make it! This way, the only change is from a normal spirit to an evil one!"
Cain laughed hysterically as he stared at his arm.
Evil Spirits were special for multiple reasons, in the case of a Spirit as the Evil Sword Spirit, it had the ability of a Sword Spirit but gained an evil nature along with it.
"In my case, my Evil Sword Spirit is sharper and more viscous, it can even affect the emotions of others! This is perfect!"
Cain looked at the two corpses on the floor and turned serious, "Time to leave, after killing a Ghostly Finger I'll surely be hunted. Good thing the Beast Master Sect was here to draw attention. I don't want to fight the Ghost King just yet."
Cain erased all traces of the murder and left the palace.
'After using that guy to in a way, resurrect Zhu Huan, there might be some consequences on his mental health, I would have liked to completely refine him but then I would bring more trouble to myself.'
Moving through the maze that was the Ghostly Ravine, Cain exited the Ravaging Ghost Sect and made his way out of the valley.
As soon as he made his way out, he used the powers of the Star Flame Butterfly to move across the sky like a comet, returning to the Demon Sealing Sect and helping the Beast Master Sect in suppressing the Evil Sects.
A great war erupted, one between righteous and demonic. Yet Cain wasn't present, like history stated, the Demon Sealing Sect Leader stayed in closed-door cultivation.
Land was won and lost; countries sided with one sect or another, and the times of war sent everyone into turmoil. The Imperium supported the Weapon Master Sect to suppress the Seductress Sect, the Beast Master Sect supported the Dominion and Demon Sealing Sect, and the Dynasty supported the Unmoved Spirit Sect.
Only the Immortal Sect didn't get involved, no one faulted them for this either. But this was not all, groups rose, supported by the Evil Sects, trying to take over their countries.
The coup in the Dynasty almost succeeded until Sun Xiang revealed his might, showing the world the hidden dragon of the Royal Family.
The coup leader didn't last a single move, his body devoured by a dragon projection. Everyone went into an uproar and the Dynasty became the 2nd most powerful country, the Evil Sects even stopped meddling for a time.
Cain knew of all these events, he read them in the history books far into the future. He had no interest, instead, he was jubilant about another occurrence.
Sitting in his secret room in the Demon Sealing Sect's Demon Devouring Palace, Cain opened his eyes with a satisfied expression.
"And so I've devoured another core. The gains are indeed good this time around!"
The Vampire core fused with Cain's body and soul at last! Unlike all the other cores Cain devoured, this one was by far the most strenuous.
Although Netherane's core took 100 years to devour, Cain was in the world of Chaos when devouring the Vampire core. Time wasn't present in that world, making it hard to tell which core took longer to digest.
"The gains are as I expected, my lifespan increased greatly, by more than 10 times my current lifespan! In addition, I got the ability I wanted, the more I devour with my mist the stronger I become! There are limitations but I calculate reaching the limit of this power will be comparable to an additional core! And then there's this!"
Cain waved his hand and a symbol appeared, it was like a willow branch but it was more malicious.
Looking closely at the symbol, one would realize the leaves deformed into strings of blood, and at the tips of each of these strings was another symbol. Each of these symbols radiated evil.
Since it was his core, Cain knew what this power was.
"I can grant this symbol to others, making them my servants...they will gain the abilities of the Vampire core but it will be limited. There's also a hierarchy depending on the number of leaves on the mark."
Being able to control the life and death of others was a great tool to have. Cain was thrilled to gain another way of control.
"With this, I can more easily get this territory's core. I should start preparations soon, but I first have to make sure my method of hiding my powers from Heaven also works on this core's abilities."
Cain got to work, spending the next year in seclusion.
...
"S-Sect Leader! You're out of seclusion?!" An Elder was doing his daily duties when he saw Cain taking a brisk walk around the premises.
Cain held a mysterious grin on his face, "Indeed so, I need to converse with the Demon Sealing Elders, where are they?"
Before he knew it, Cain was in a hall where 8 people sat in chairs, impatient. They were young and old, some Cain knew, and some he didn't. It was all the same to him.
"Good, you're all here. I asked you all here because I've made a breakthrough in the struggle against the Desire Demon, for a time, he cannot affect me." Cain announced the great news.
"What? Is this true?"
"Sect leader...."
"Our Demon Sealing Sect is going to contest with the Beast Master Sect!"
The Elders were in an uproar.
Cain raised his hand. "Settle down, I have something else to announce. A gift, for each of you."
Eight willow branch symbols appeared. They each moved and stopped before each of the Elders, glowing with a red light.
"Place them on you're foreheads, they will give you the power to increase your strength by killing Demons." The false Sect Leader explained.
The Elders looked at one another but shrugged and placed the symbols on their foreheads.
Why would their sect leader attack them? None of them realized the possibility of the Desire Demon taking over, that was because precautions were in place, but what they didn't know was that Cain took over their dear leader. They had no defenses against a Gatherer who invaded their territory.
As the willow branch symbols melded with their foreheads, they sprouted out, becoming increasingly evil as the blood-red lines sprouted demonic symbols.
Before any of the Elders could act, Cain distorted the power of the willow branches and increased the speed at which they fused with the soul. None of them could defend against such an attack.
Cain's preparations were complete.
'Although the willow branches alone can't completely make them slaves, I can use distort and once the symbol fuses with their soul, I can change it to my desire. This is the perfect method for manipulation! I shall call them the Marked!'
Each of the 8 bowed and spoke at the same time, "Please give us your orders, Lord."
Cain grinned. "Go and spread my mark far and wide, remain hidden while doing so."
They bowed and left. Afterward, Cain reentered back into seclusion. He also had the elder who first saw him turned into a Marked as well.
...
Years passed, and Cain awoke from his slumber as he stretched, his tired flesh shaking awake.
"Hmm, it should be around that time. I should check a few things to make sure everything's in place. Who knows how many events were my own doing that my future self needs to progress the same way I did."
Cain left the Demon Sealing Sect without a word, no one saw him leave. He used the Chaotic Space Spirit to do so.
Traveling the world, he first headed to the Dynasty where he made sure he wasn't involved in anything. To his surprise, the Demons weren't trying to invade the Palace yet. This caused him to pay a visit to the nearby base, it wasn't hard to do, he could interrogate Desire.
From Desire he learned demons use a scent to recognize each other, it was something only Demon's physiology could accomplish.
"Who are you? Why do you have the scent of one of us?!"
Cain swung his arm and a red blade cried out, it struck the 6th Tier Demon as they screamed in pain. They died in a single hit.
Continuing forward, Cain massacred every demon that tried to stop him, leaving chunks and blood of different colors in his wake. After killing countless demons, Cain found the leader holed up in the deepest part of the base.
"Human, you dare! " The Demon saw Cain, glaring at him for a moment before his face turned sour. "Demon Sealing Sect Leader?! Why are you here....wait."
Cain smiled, "That's right. Now I was hoping you would inform the other two not to worry. Also, begin infiltrating the Palace, it's needed for my plans."
"Wait, Lord Desire, what do you mea-" Before he could finish, Cain teleported away.
"Demon Lord Desire...." The base commander was at a loss.
...
Stepping on a snowy peak, Cain entered a cave full of obsidian.
Turning one of the stalactites, a secret entrance opened.
"Nothing strange, everything looks good, now let's check the other inheritance."