...….
"!!!" "!!!" "!!!"
The three Yang Sect Disciples were still reeling, struggling to process what was happening, when, out of nowhere, a predatory gleam flickered between Azmodeus's sword-like brows.
And that was all they needed to know to realize… they were about to die…
However, no one would be willing to let life slip away so easily, and these Yang Sect Disciples were no exception.
OOOM!
They instantly unleashed their inner strengths, hoping to thwart the advances of this freak of nature!
"Die! Bear Punch Destruction!" Yang Bao roared.
"Flying Eagle Strike!"
"Spinning Circle of Death!"
They all gave everything they had!
However…
Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!
A blood fountain was shot out of each of their necks, painting the insides of the small hut crimson.
The next moment, four Yang Sect Outer Disciples lay dead, disbelief etched across their decapitated faces.
"..."
Azmodeus then began working on cleaning up the 'mess' in his home while a few system notifications echoed in his head.
BLING!
[Ding! You have killed four cultivators in the Peak Stages of the Viscera Training Large Success Stage!]
[Ding! You have obtained 30 Evolution Essence!]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[Ding! You have obtained 0.8 Stat points in all of your basic attributes!]
[Ding! You have obtained 1.1 Stat points in all of your basic attributes!]
[Ding! Would you like to Assimilate the stats of all these cultivators, or roll for one of their abilities?]
Following these system notifications, Azmodeus immediately clicked on 'Assimilate the Stats' and a few more pop-ups appeared.
BLING!
[Ding! You have obtained 2.2 Stat points in Strength, 2.1 points in Defense, 2.4 in Speed, 2.8 points in Qi, and 1.7 points in Cultivation Speed!]
[Ding! Your overall combat power has been tremendously improved!]
After all the system notifications finished chiming, he summoned the system interface, which opened up in an instant.
BLING!
__________
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: Human]
[Lifespan: 12/75]
[Cultivation: Absolute Peak Stages of the Altering Muscle Minor Realm (Body Refinement Major Realm.)]
[Overall Combat Power: Absolute Peak Stages of the Altering Muscle Realm.]
[Level: 10]
[Evolution Essence needed to advance to the next level: 42]
{[Stats:]}
[Strength: 8.9]
[Speed: 8.7]
[Defense: 8.6]
[Qi: 9.2]
[Cultivation Talent: 8.2]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Inherited Traits and Active Species Alterations: None]
__________
Azmodeus scanned his system interface and got a clear understanding of the strength he now held at his disposal.
"These boons are beyond anything I can comprehend, and I haven't even had the system for longer than a few hours…"
Though he was overjoyed at everything that he was gaining, in the end, he knew that his newfound strength was nowhere near what it needed to be if he wished for the killing of four fellow sect members to go unnoticed…
Unless he made it to the Early Pulse Condensation Stage and successfully earned the rank of an Inner Disciple, it was highly likely that he would be hunted down as soon as it was discovered that he killed four members of his own sect.
This was all to say that he now had two choices if he wished to survive this debacle.
Option One: Give up and surrender himself to the Yang Sect, hoping for them to show some leniency over his punishment.
Or Option Two: Head deeper into the Yang Forest, search for Spiritual Beasts at the Altering Muscle Stage and beyond, and kill them until he becomes strong enough to rocket straight up into the ranks of Inner Disciple.
And if he were being honest, it wasn't even a question anymore…
The choice was already clear.
Step, Step, Step.
Azmodeus's soft footsteps echoed through the lush greenery around him as he took one last look at his home before venturing deeper into the Yang Forest, much further than he had ever traveled before.
"It looks like things have been thrown off track, huh?" he muttered with a wry chuckle.
Despite having everything presented to him in such a way, and his dream of becoming an Outer Disciple being crushed, he couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation.
He, who was once the weakest in his sect and perhaps all of the cultivation world, was now on the run after killing the very people who he once looked up to and aspired to become!
'Fate truly has a twisted yet funny way of letting things play out, haha…'
Light-hearted laughs echoed in the Yang Forest as a boy, who was once deemed the weakest of all cultivators, ventured into a territory that even the Inner Sect Disciples of the Yang Sect tended to steer away from.
—------
The Altering Muscle Minor Stage of the Body Refinement Realm (5th of the 14 Minor Realms).
This stage marked the point where the cultivators would stop refining their organs and instead shift their focus back to honing the muscles of their body.
Everything that came on the path of a cultivator was filled with balance, and after two minor realms that were focused almost entirely on improving the fortitude of the organs, it was once again time to restore equilibrium.
The Altering Muscle Stage was one of the most well-known stages in the Body Refinement Realm among the cultivators, mainly because of its effect on harmonizing various attributes of the body.
_____
"Where is it…?"
Azmodeus's voice was low as he tried searching for an Altering Muscle Realm Spiritual Beast in the depths of the Yang Forest.
A few seconds passed, and just as he was about to give up on tracking the Shadow Panther that escaped him a few moments ago, a shadowy figure burst out from a few nearby bushes!
"Rawrrghh!!" The beast roared, baring its razor-sharp fangs in the direction of the young boy.
"Ahh… there you are…"
Azmodeus's fierce eyes suddenly locked in the direction of the beast as he pulled out a sword and slashed upward!
SLICE!
"Arrgghh…!
The anguished cry of the beast echoed before it was cleaved into two separate bloody halves.
Bam!
Both the evenly cut halves of the Shadow Panther fell to the grassy ground with a heavy thud!
Following the splitting and subsequent defeat of the Shadow Panther while its body lay before him, several system notifications chimed in Azmodeus's mind.
BLING!
[Ding! You have slain a Spiritual Beast in the Middle Stages of the Altering Muscle Stage!]
[Ding! You have gained 35 Evolution Essence!]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[Ding! All of your basic attributes have increased by 1.5 Points!]
[Ding! Your overall combat power has once again taken a significant leap!]
[Ding! Would you like to Assimilate part of the Stats of the Beast or roll for one of its abilities?]
.....