Chapter 10-Letter

Lucifer steadied his breath, sitting atop a jagged outcrop surrounded by the stifling mists of the Poison Forest. His robes were torn, blood clung to his lips, and the chaotic roar of beast qi still echoed in his mind. It wasn't just a scream that had shaken his foundation—it was the overwhelming presence that followed.

"A scream that rattles the air, and qi that feels like it could tear space open," he muttered dryly. "That definitely wasn't a rabbit."

He sat still, letting the chaos inside him settle. His recent breakthroughs and the violent qi tremor had caused ripples through his meridians. Only now, with careful breathing and the flow of his internal energy, did the storm subside. Moments passed. Then, silence.

He didn't linger.

Sliding a black robe from his storage ring—its inside lined with serpent scales resistant to toxins—he donned it swiftly and leapt down from the rocks. His movements were swift, silent, and measured. He had no desire to be near whatever beast had caused that wave of qi—but he needed to know.

He reached the edge of a clearing after weaving through thorned underbrush and jagged roots for several minutes. And what he saw made him stop.

Four human cultivators were locked in a ferocious battle with a towering, monstrous creature—an Eight-Armed Poison Ape. The beast was enormous, nearly three meters tall, with sinewy black muscles covered in spiked fur. Its eyes glowed violet, and two of its eight arms wielded crude weapons torn from trees and stone. The remaining six arms moved like a storm, swiping, grabbing, smashing. Poison fog billowed from its breath like death itself.

The cultivators were powerful—Second to Third Claw Realm at least. But even working together, they were barely holding on.

One of them—a woman with a blade wrapped in blue flame—lunged forward. In the same moment, a massive arm slammed down, and her scream pierced the forest as her body crumpled like paper against the ground.

Lucifer's eyes narrowed.

"Oh. That scream."

The intensity of the ape's qi surged with her death, growing wilder. The beast bellowed, and a wave of beast qi exploded outward like a thunderclap. The forest bent around the impact.

Lucifer didn't wait to see the rest.

"Yup. Nope."

He turned and vanished into the trees, leaving no trace. His movement was smooth, fluid, honed by survival. That thing wasn't just powerful—it was intelligent. And angry. Even if he'd had a death wish, charging into a fight like that was one he couldn't walk away from.

But as he fled, his mind recorded everything. Location. Terrain. The strength of the beast. The weaknesses of the humans. And, more importantly, the potential reward.

By the time night fell, and the forest turned quiet again, he returned.

This time the battlefield was empty.

No bodies. No weapons. No blood trail. Just the torn-up earth, snapped trees, and fading echoes of violent struggle. Not even bones remained. Only silence.

Lucifer crouched, examining the area carefully. "They're gone. All of them."

He tapped a clawed finger against his chin, musing aloud. "If they'd fled, they'd leave behind some trace. And that beast doesn't seem like the kind to clean up after itself."

His eyes narrowed. "It took them. All of them. Bodies, belongings… like a crow hoarding shiny things."

Beasts at the Heart Reborn Realm gained intelligence close to humans. Some developed personalities. Others became vengeful monsters who saw humans not as threats—but as prey and tools.

Lucifer stood still for a moment longer, until something caught his attention.

A glint. A faint shimmer of red pooled in the cracked stone—blood. Thick. Potent. Pulsing faintly.

He dropped to one knee and reached into his storage ring, pulling out a small jade vial and a thin needle. Carefully, he dipped it into the blood and tasted a drop with the edge of his tongue.

His entire body tensed.

"Beast qi…"

It was dense. Alive. Noble. This blood belonged to the ape, without a doubt. And despite it being diluted and dried, it still retained an astonishingly pure beast qi signature.

He sat down immediately, sliding another robe beneath him to protect from the forest ground. Then, he activated the Devouring Dragon Art.

The moment the beast qi entered his body, it clashed violently with the demon qi inside him. A low growl echoed from deep within his dantian, as if his inner self was struggling to digest it.

But instead of overpowering the weaker essence, the demon qi paused, then shifted—allowing it. Not dominating it. Not consuming. But accepting.

Lucifer smiled. "So you're worthy."

The qi surged.

His cultivation base trembled—and rose.

Third Claw Realm.

A deeper strength settled into his bones. Muscles tightened. His skin prickled with a faint energy, and a barely visible aura of green-gray mist lingered around his limbs. His poison resistance spiked, and even his blood felt thicker, more alive. But it wasn't just power. It was balance. This beast qi didn't pollute or fight with his demonic foundation—it enhanced it.

It was the perfect first imprint.

"All those lesser beasts… I was right to discard them," he muttered. "If I'd let my demon qi devour their weak beast qi, it would've tainted the foundation. But this… this bloodline is ancient."

He stood slowly, drawing the hood of his black robe up once again. His presence diminished to that of an ordinary cultivator.

"Time to deliver a message."

Under cover of darkness, Lucifer returned to Scarlet City. He used the back routes again, avoiding guards and main streets. Once near the Azure Clan estate, he paused on a rooftop overlooking the inner court. Lights were dim. Most people had gone to sleep.

He retrieved a tightly folded paper from his ring, infused it with strong demon qi until it radiated power, then wrote a short but pointed letter. It wasn't elegant.

"To the Azure Patriarch. Your clan stands on the edge of destruction. If you wish to know the truth, come alone. South edge of the city. Midnight. Trust no one. Not even your clan. Ignore this warning… and you will suffer for it."

He folded it again, sealed it with qi, and flung it toward a window of the inner residence.

Inside, Lan Yueru was pacing.

Her long silver hair was tied loosely behind her back, and her robes shimmered faintly with defensive inscriptions. She chewed her lip with frustration. "An arranged marriage. With the Bone Clan. Seriously? Father just accepted it without even asking?"

She rolled her eyes and slammed a cushion onto her bed. "I don't even like them. All they do is posture and act like they own half the continent. Ugh, I swear if that Bone idiot tries to touch my—"

A sharp pressure stopped her thoughts.

She turned her head slowly. Her spiritual sense recoiled.

Demonic qi.

It was faint but undeniable, floating near her window like a clawed hand scraping across glass. Her eyes narrowed, and she moved swiftly to investigate. What she found made her breath hitch.

A message. Radiating danger.

She tried probing it with her qi—but it was instantly blocked. The seal was dense, precise. Not something a casual cultivator could create.

Her heart thumped faster. This wasn't a prank. And it wasn't addressed to her.

"To the Patriarch," she murmured. "Father…"

She sprinted through the halls and handed the note directly to Lan Jinhai, her father.

He examined it carefully, his face growing still as he opened the seal and read the message.

"Demon qi," he murmured. "But not hostile. Just... strong."

He read the words twice.

Threat. Warning. Secrecy.

His instincts prickled. Something had been off lately—the Bone Clan's sudden proposal. Their push for alliance. The shipment delays. The strange pills his alchemists couldn't fully analyze.

He folded the letter again and looked up.

"Say nothing of this to anyone," he said to his daughter. "Not even the guards. Understand?"

Lan Yueru nodded.

The Patriarch turned toward the window, gazing at the rising moon.

"Something's coming," he muttered. "And I'm going to find out what."