Chapter 167: The Toad God Lineage
"Master, Mary sent word — they've received news about the Ninth Abyss."
"Where is the wormhole?"
"It's in the direction the Black-Horned Devil just escaped — approximately 2.3 million kilometers away, on a large lake called Bonas."
"Is it permanent?"
"No, Master. It's a temporary wormhole. According to our instruments, it should last for over two hundred years, but it will eventually show signs of collapse."
"Then there's no rush. We still have plenty of time. Send me the information on the 'Grand Duke-level' demons they've located. I'll hunt a few more to complete my genetic amplification."
"Yes, Master."
In recent years, Jiang Zhe had returned to his tried-and-true methods from his cultivation in the first two worlds.
Candlelight Doppelganger — [Enlightener], activate!
Radiance spread forth, "emitting the light of enlightenment," converting a group of Demon Counts (Domain Lords) and sending them out to gather intelligence.
Information such as wormhole locations, rare finds, treasure sites, and Grand Duke coordinates were all collected.
Details unrelated to the Dukes were handed over to Mary, who took Chi Ying to handle them — a deliberate tempering for Chi Ying.
---
"Die!"
Jiang Zhe locked eyes on a Demon Grand Duke dozens of kilometers away and roared.
A pair of bright, desire-filled eyes erupted with a will-based attack, pouring directly into the demon's consciousness.
The Grand Duke's mind blurred, thoughts collapsing as his brief instinct to self-destruct was extinguished.
From behind a dark purple star, a streak of blood light flashed forward, slicing into the demon's chest.
In an instant, ten percent of his divine body's consciousness was erased.
The damage dropped his divine body's integrity to the critical threshold — killing him outright.
Another immortal demon, with a genetic life level a hundred times that of ordinary beings, had fallen!
Though he possessed the power to contend with kings, his essence was still that of an immortal military master — making him far easier to slay.
Jiang Zhe raised his hand.
The dark purple stars scattered arcs of lightning and returned to form precious orbs.
One Night Pearl absorbed the demon's corpse into its inner space, then rejoined the others, shrinking to the size of glass beads. They linked together into a bracelet that wrapped around Jiang Zhe's wrist.
With a thought, the corpse reappeared, suspended before him.
His iron-scaled hand pierced into its chest, pulling out a golden, translucent heart.
"The ninth perfect heart… According to Chi Ying's standards, I'm almost there."
Jiang Zhe then transformed into his mecha ship form. Oriana piloted them into a mountain range, engaging the appearance simulation to blend in as a hill.
---
Spaceship Training Room
Once again, agony like muscle cramps and bones being torn apart wracked his body — only eased by Oriana's "Deep Symbiosis."
"From the peak of World Master to the peak of the Universe… even when mentally prepared, this gap feels unbearable."
"The power of a world, the projection of a world… all gone."
Feeling the now "weak" strength and diminished psychic fluctuations within himself, Jiang Zhe sighed.
"As expected, understanding the Laws is the only true foundation. Only my comprehension of Law at the near-Feudal Lord rank has remained — it only grows, never diminishes."
Steeling himself, Jiang Zhe cut open his left palm and pressed the heart against the wound. The heart dissolved into pure energy, flooding into his body.
Chaotic Will surged into his Sea of Consciousness.
Compared to fusing his first five Grand Duke-level hearts, the impact was much more violent.
Repeating his tried-and-true method, Jiang Zhe's will weathered the storm, fragments dissolving into the chaos, merging seamlessly.
Refine. Assimilate. Integrate.
— "Heaven and man as one. No form, no self."
The body transformed under the demonic power, completing the fusion of the sixth Grand Duke heart.
Seventh!
Eighth!
Ninth!
Tenth!
Eleventh!
After fusing the eleventh, Jiang Zhe's brow furrowed as he examined his condition.
The Chaotic Will in his consciousness had grown… but the demonic power in his body had not increased at all.
Which meant — the Grand Duke hearts of gold and space attributes had reached their limit.
Looking inward, he saw the metamorphosis of his 181 "stars."
They no longer shone outwardly, but were restrained and razor-sharp — like the saying, "A dog that bites doesn't bark." Vast energy pulsed within, compressed and contained.
Each resembled a flawless diamond, cut into countless facets. A closer look revealed the precise cosmic number 10081, in line with universal laws.
Sparse secret lines were etched on their surfaces, glowing faintly with a misty golden light.
Much of the surface remained blank — waiting to be filled.
"This must be the reserved mark for the other seven attributes…"
An insight flashed in Jiang Zhe's mind.
Demonic Power — ignite!
His calm eyes flared with desire.
A chaotic, tyrannical aura burst forth, a misty blood-red halo enveloping his body. Two solid ghost horns sprouted from his forehead.
Gene Amplification — activate!
He carefully measured his current state.
"3620 times! Twice the previous amplification!"
Opening the armor on his chest, he glanced at the skin above his heart.
A few dark red lines formed the rough outline of a face with two towering horns — a pattern reminiscent of the beast god visage that appeared when activating Blood Luo power.
Shrugging, Jiang Zhe turned his senses to the original Laws of the universe.
With eyes closed, he could faintly feel the primal fluctuations of the Laws — metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, light, lightning, space, and time.
The clearest to him now were lightning and time, followed by gold and space — the direct result of his fused hearts.
"Wonderful. Like the Blood Luo Crystal — this is a treasure tailor-made for Earthlings."
"This Abyss truly is my blessed land. I'm more eager than ever to see what the Ninth Abyss holds."
---
Soon after, Mary returned with Chi Ying.
Sensing the faint spatial aura around Chi Ying, Jiang Zhe nodded in satisfaction.
The little apprentice he'd taken on a whim was no fool — her talent was unaffected by her upbringing, and she'd grasped the Laws of Space in just a few years.
Promising indeed.
"What will you do?" Jiang Zhe asked. "Follow me to the Ninth Abyss to broaden your horizons, or remain here in the First Abyss to cultivate?"
Instead of answering, Chi Ying asked, "Teacher, is it true you killed a pure-blood demon?"
Jiang Zhe nodded calmly. "Yes. Only a bit over two hundred times the genetic life level — nothing impressive."
"Then… are you going to the Origin Blood Pool to collect its source blood?"
"How long would it take for that drop of blood to birth another pure-blood demon?"
"From my last lifetime's death to my current birth, hundreds of thousands of years passed — and there's still that much time remaining."
"Then there's no rush. One drop of blood isn't enough for me. Besides, you don't need a clone of your own race, do you?"
Chi Ying shook her head. "If possible, I'd like a drop of thunder-attribute blood… or wood-attribute blood."
"Why those two?"
"First, the Thunder lineage — Abyss Demon Dragons — is the largest among the eight, with divine bodies that have an edge in breaking through to Duke-level. Second, the Wood-Space lineage — Void Predators — are natural assassins, highly compatible with the Laws of Space. They could enhance my talent."
"Good. You've thought it through yourself." Jiang Zhe smiled. "So, what's your choice about the Ninth Abyss?"
"I wish to follow my teacher!"
"Good! That's the spirit!" Jiang Zhe laughed. "Anna, prepare to depart!"
---
Bonas Great Lake
Hundreds of thousands of kilometers across at its widest point, the lake could serve as a bathtub for an entire planet — yet in the First Abyss, it was merely a lake.
In its center, the wormhole to the Ninth Abyss swirled. The news had drawn many demon dukes to the shore, hesitating to enter.
The appearance of a silver pyramid shattered the uneasy peace.
Jiang Zhe floated high above the lake, openly releasing the aura of his 3,000-times genetic life level, baiting his prey.
One after another, demon dukes charged, eager to devour this "delicacy."
Jiang Zhe tossed his bracelet into the air. The orbs expanded, bursting with lightning, transforming into twelve dark purple stars that hurtled toward the enemy.
Stars Travel + World Projection + Will Attack!
The combined assault shattered their overlapping Law Domains and suppressed them in turn. Movement became sluggish, their divine bodies smashed apart by the purple stars.
Blood light flashed, cutting through armor, injecting poison, erasing divine bodies entirely.
In moments, demon dukes fell dead, their demigod consciousness obliterated.
Three could no longer endure the torment of the Blood Divine Sword and self-destructed, unleashing massive shockwaves that tore the sky and shattered space.
Jiang Zhe, protected within the Dingfeng Pearl, emerged unscathed, finishing off the survivors and collecting six Duke hearts.
He stored them in a separate world ring — all to be dyed red later.
---
Ignoring the fleeing dukes, he transformed into a purple streak and descended toward the wormhole.
When Oriana asked if they should enter aboard the mecha ship, he shook his head. "Too dangerous."
He entered the Hunyuan Umbrella's inner space, letting the umbrella drift into the wormhole.
On the other side lay a vast black desert, a towering dark-green mountain looming in the distance beneath a starless sky.
Both he and Oriana paled at the energy readings.
"Let's hope it doesn't wake up," Jiang Zhe murmured.
A hissing voice drifted through the silence, followed by a hoarse woman's tone:
"What a strange umbrella… but it's mine. I'll study it slowly."
A male voice snarled, reeking of sulfur: "Rotten hag! That treasure's mine — and so is this delicious foreigner!"
A third, cold and mocking, replied: "That tasteless morsel suits you just fine, Balrog. But that elegant umbrella belongs to me."
---
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