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“One day, I will become stronger than her.” The Demon Emperor raised her eyes once more, and a terrifying chill radiated from her dignified golden pupils. “So, as something that was once a part of Me, I need to take you back.”

“No…” The Blood Essence trembled as it retreated. Although her expression was still impossible to make out, anyone could sense the fear she was feeling at that moment. “I only just managed to gain a consciousness of my own. I don’t want to go back. Your Majesty, if you want to become stronger, all the humans in this city can become your blood feast. Why does it have to be me?”

“She won’t allow Me to attack ordinary people.” The Demon Emperor spoke coldly. “And this is also her command.”

“A command? Hahaha, you actually obey someone else’s orders?” The Blood Essence laughed maniacally. “The Demon Emperor I knew would never say something like that! You’re no longer the Demon Emperor. You’re not worthy!”

The furious roar of the Blood Essence was carried away by the wind, drifting farther and farther into the distance. Yet what the wind carried with it was not merely her voice, but also the Demon Emperor’s icy killing intent.

“Whether I count as the Demon Emperor or not is not something a mere drop of blood like you has the right to criticize!” The Demon Emperor extended a finger and pointed it through the air toward the center of the Blood Essence’s brow.

The Blood Essence had wanted to flee from the very beginning, but when the Demon Emperor appeared before her, she knew that escape was no longer possible. She knew better than anyone just how terrifying the former Demon Emperor before her was, even though she could now clearly sense her weakness.

She could not resist. Thus, she could only allow that finger to reach her brow. The blood-colored mist surrounding her body began to surge violently, rapidly converging toward its very center.

The form of the Blood Essence began to shatter, yet there was nothing she could do. All she could do was glare at her creator with venomous resentment.

“You’ll… suffer retribution…”

“Heh. Hasn’t My retribution already arrived?” The Demon Emperor closed her hand. A blood-red pearl appeared in her palm. She did not hesitate any longer and swallowed the blood pearl.

A terrifying aura immediately surged upward, scattering the clouds within a hundred miles radius. She gathered her mind and focused, feeling the terrifying spiritual energy within her body gradually becoming abundant once more.

Behind her, three of the nine enormous tails that were both illusory and tangible gradually solidified, becoming physical. Every gentle sweep of her tails was accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.

“Saint realm… Third Heavenly Stratum?” The Demon Emperor murmured softly, her tone carrying a hint of regret. She looked down at the city beneath her. If she could directly devour all the humans in this city, her power would probably reach the Fifth Heavenly Stratum in one step. Although that was still far from her peak, it would at least give her some foundation.

But now, who knew how long it would take her to recover to her former peak?

“I can only continue enduring this humiliation for now.” She clenched both fists, the resolve in her eyes hard as iron.

***

“Is it taken care of?” Lilith lowered her head and looked at the gray scarf that had returned to her neck, then asked.

A fox head poked out from the scarf and gave a soft meow.

“Good.” Lilith nodded, then looked in another direction. “I’m almost finished here, too.”

At the end of her gaze, Landon was viciously driving the longsword in his hand into the Moon Demon’s heart.

The Moon Demon was a puppet, so even having her heart pierced would not kill her. But in truth, she was already battered beyond recognition. One of her arms had been severed completely at the root, and her body was covered in sword wounds.

The features that had been painted onto her face were also stained with blood, making her expression impossible to discern.

The Moon Demon, who had lost her memories and was fighting head-on, was ultimately far weaker than before. Even with the augmentation provided by her resentment, she was still no match for Landon.

“This is really… infuriating!” Landon shoved the Moon Demon away and cursed angrily, furrowing his brows. “All you ever do is cause me trouble.”

“That’s rather cruel.” Lilith gave him a faintly mocking smile. “She’s still your companion, isn’t she?”

“Companion? Heh… I don’t have a companion this unreliable.” He planted one foot on the Moon Demon’s chest and sneered. “Did you really think I cooperated with her because she bewitched me? What a joke. I only treated her as a stepping stone to climb higher. Even without her, I have other ways to rise!”

“That’s certainly something only a complete scumbag would say.”

“A scumbag? Heh, this world doesn’t care about character. This world only cares about survival of the fittest!”

“I almost feel sorry for her.” Lilith looked at the Moon Demon.

The Moon Demon’s aura gradually weakened, and her body had been reduced to a horrifying state. Yet she was still struggling, as if she wanted to fight back. In the end, however, the only hand she could still move was crushed beneath Landon’s foot.

“Did I… become a good person, like I was before I lost my memories?” The Moon Demon… no, she should have been called Pinocchio, turned her head and met Lilith’s gaze, asking weakly.

Although the blood had obscured her expression at that moment, Lilith could still sense the hope in her. She genuinely wanted to receive that recognition.

“Of course. You’re a good person.” Lilith smiled as she replied, “If the you from before knew about this, she would surely be relieved.”

“Then… then that’s wonderful…” As if she had fulfilled the ideal she had pursued all her life, Pinocchio could not help but smile. What she did not know was that her actions, just like her name, were a complete and utter lie.

“I can’t help feeling… a little guilty about this.” Looking at Pinocchio’s current state, Lilith scratched her cheek somewhat sheepishly. However, the moment she thought about what Pinocchio had done before, that trace of guilt vanished once again.

Lilith even felt a little regretful that she could only devour memories and could not return the memories she had swallowed. Otherwise, the scene would certainly have been beautiful.

“What a disgrace!” Seeing the Moon Demon in her current state, Landon’s fury finally reached its peak. “Since you’ve chosen to become the stepping stone blocking my path, then you should have been prepared to be built into the steps yourself!”

He leaned forward with a vicious grin and suddenly thrust his hand into the Moon Demon’s chest. The Moon Demon immediately let out a scream of agony that made one’s eardrums ache, but the scream abruptly stopped halfway through. Because Landon had pulled a blood-red heart from her chest. The heart was still beating, and a faint, eerie glow flickered deep within its very center.

“The Blood Demon Pill can help someone break through the Saint realm. That part wasn’t entirely a lie, after all.” A crazed light flickered in Landon’s eyes, and under everyone’s horrified gazes, he suddenly began gnawing at the heart.

Blood splattered everywhere, making the sight nauseating. Landon finally abandoned the refined and scholarly demeanor he had carefully maintained all this time, transforming into a beast that greedily tore into the heart.

**Crunch, crunch.**

Without even chewing much, Landon eagerly swallowed the flesh mixed with foul-smelling blood into his stomach. His aura steadily grew stronger. Step by step, he advanced toward that threshold.

And when he swallowed the final remnants of the heart, his power finally broke through that seemingly insurmountable barrier. Saint realm! It turned out that the Blood Demon truly did possess the ability to help someone break through their realm.

However, this effect did not seem to be entirely pure. Although Landon had successfully broken through, his aura was extremely unstable and superficial. But no matter how unstable the realm was, it was still the Saint realm.

The Saint and mortal realms were worlds apart. As long as one stepped across the threshold of the Saint realm, one became a true powerhouse!

“Hahahahaha! I’ve finally broken through to the Saint realm!” Feeling the surging power coursing through his body, Landon could not help but throw his head back and laugh arrogantly. “Now, no one can stop me!”