The Blood Lotus Sect's inner temple was not meant to be found—at least, not by mortals. Yet here it was, buried beneath layers of cursed stone and sect corruption, breathing like a thing alive.
The air inside was thick, humid, tainted with blood and regret. The ceiling above pulsed faintly like stretched skin. The thrum of ancient power bled into the bones of all who entered.
Lu Xuan stood still, his hands behind his back, his eyes half-lidded. Something was stirring inside him.
Not just power.
Awakening.
Birth of the Nascent Flame
In the stillness of the deepest chamber, something cracked.
It wasn't a sound of stone, nor a seal breaking—though that too would come.
It was him.
Lu Xuan's core trembled—no, shattered. The brilliant nucleus of his power collapsed inward, and from it, a blinding light exploded. Not outward, but inward, spiraling into a single point.
Then—rebirth.
From the ashes of his Core Formation came something higher, deeper—an essence that pulsed like a heartbeat. In that instant, his body burned, and from the ashes of flesh, a soul was born.
Nascent Soul Stage.
His breath came out ragged, his eyes alight. He could feel the world change around him. No longer did his qi merely respond to will—it obeyed. Space seemed thinner. Fate, weaker.
And with it came something else—
A deep roar echoed inside his blood.
The Immortal Demon God Body — Level One
The runes beneath Lu Xuan's skin ignited—black, red, and violet. The symbol on his chest—half-concealed by his robes—glowed like a branding iron. His body surged with energy, not of the heavens, but of something beyond them.
The Immortal Demon God Body, once slumbering, had awakened.
Level One: Unsealed.
Effect: 10x amplification of combat strength
Consequence: Demon blood pulses within the meridians; spiritual qi resists balance
Mark of Kingship glows — visible only to beings from the Demon World .
He could feel his flesh knitting itself faster than fire could scorch it. His bones were like metal. His soul, wrapped in chains of shadow and starlight, pulsed with rage.
And the power whispered:
"You cannot be killed — only sealed."
Su Xue Steps Away
Su Xue had felt the shift. Her own cultivation trembled in response—not out of awe, but alarm.
She stepped back, hand tight around her blade. "You broke through... but this isn't the Nascent Soul I know."
Lu Xuan opened his eyes. They were different now—deeper. Older.
"I've simply remembered what I was."
"You mean who you were before—when you were the Demon God?"
He looked at her. "That wasn't just a past life. That was me."
Su Xue's grip trembled.
"You're not Lu Xuan anymore," she said.
"Maybe Lu Xuan was just the mask."
The Bloodspawn Beast
From the far corner of the temple, where the floor melted into black fog, it emerged.
The Bloodspawn Beast.
It was colossal, stitched together from corpses of ancient Nascent Soul cultivators, pulsing with cursed qi and veins of bloodlotus roots. Its skin bore the sigil of the Demon World: a split crown and broken eye.
Yao Lin unsheathed her dagger. "It's from the Crimson Demoness. Left here as a guardian."
The beast roared—
But when it saw Lu Xuan, it froze.
And then it knelt.
"King of the Abyss... you have returned."
Silence.
Su Xue stared at Lu Xuan. "What did it just call you?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, the symbol on his chest flashed—and the beast recoiled as if in reverence.
Voice of the Demoness
Suddenly, the walls bled.
The room dimmed. A woman's voice echoed not through the air, but inside their minds.
Velvet, sensuous, dripping with power.
"Five seals broken. Four remain."
"Lu Xuan… or should I say... my King."
Su Xue's heart twisted.
The Crimson Demoness. She had reached them through the crack in the seal.
"You have awakened the first level of your immortal body. Soon, your soul shall bloom in its true form. The Demon God Eye will open."
Yao Lin fell to her knees, clutching her ears. "It's inside my head—!"
Lu Xuan grimaced. "What do you want?"
"Only to welcome you back. You were born to lead the Demon World. Seal or no seal, the throne remembers its master."
The Demon God Body – Three Levels
A sudden vision crashed into Lu Xuan's mind — fragments of knowledge, too ancient to be human.
Three Levels.
Level One – Nascent Soul Stage
Combat power ×10
Body immune to decay, poisons, and physical destruction. Soul bound to flesh
Level Two – Soul Ascension Stage
Combat power ×100
Awakens Demon God Eye: any target seen cannot escape fate
Level Three – Immortal Ascension Stage
The seal of death shatters. Fate, causality, time—all bend before the true form.
Only sealing arrays crafted by Immortal Beings can restrain it.
The Fifth Seal Breaks
At the center of the room stood a pedestal.
Nine sigils. Four were already dim.
Lu Xuan, as if drawn by instinct, stepped forward.
Su Xue shouted, "Don't touch it!"
But he already had.
The fifth seal shattered — not with light, but with silence. Like something ancient had died.
Or been reborn.
End of Chapter 32