Way of the Devil

“The Mother of Pain rules over the surrounding planets. Three of the planets around the Yellow Springs Planet belong to the Mother of Pain. I’m from a sect nearest to this galaxy[1. ED/N: I’m pretty sure it’s a solar system and not galaxy. It’s too early to go on galaxy scale, after all, and 3 planets is not even 1/100 of a galaxy. We will see if the raws change. Or, perhaps the author is using the word that means galaxy as something like “space sector”.], the Green Branch Sect. Because of an accident, I’ve lost my life while I was an elder of the sect’s branch. My spirit wandered, and unintentionally ended up in Great Yin. You know what comes next, Sect Master Lu,” Chang Qingzi said with a long sigh. “I’ve left many Marks and skill formulas to attract living beings to cultivate them. Then, I’d find a compatible individual to attach myself to.”

“So, you attached yourself to the great concubine, and now you’ve set your eyes on my son?” Lu Sheng said drily.

“That is true.” Chang Qingzi nodded. With a hint of regret, he said, “Truth be told, I’ve felt similar sensations on other people as well, but none of them have shown as strong a reaction as Lu Ning. I’ve chosen him after long and careful consideration.”

Lu Sheng muttered to himself, and again asked, “I wonder if your sect categorizes powers into tiers such as a Weapon Grandmaster?”

Chang Qingzi nodded, and said, “Naturally, we do. However, we do not refer to a Weapon Grandmaster as a Weapon Grandmaster. We merely refer to it as the Army Rising tier. It’s a tier superior to the Army Forming tier. The Army Forming tier is equivalent to the Divine Lord tier you have here.”

“Do you have any more powerful tier than the Army Raising tier?” Lu Sheng asked the most crucial question.

“Of course we do,” Chang Qingzi replied assuredly. “Our Green Branch Sect was capable of standing on equal footing with the Mother of Pain and lord over the surrounding galaxies. Naturally, we won’t be relying on the Army Raising tier alone. The real powerful tier is the Void Underworld expert.”

“So, it’s the Void Underworld as well, huh?” Lu Sheng’s heart fluttered slightly. This concurred with the information he obtained. The Void Underworld expert was truly the rarest and most powerful tier.

“From what I know, my Green Branch Sect’s sect master and the Mother of Pain are both great beings of the Void Underworld tier. These great beings are already at the limits of this world. Every single movement of theirs is capable of creating huge waves and disturbances. They wouldn’t make any moves unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Chang Qingzi said with a straight face.

“In that case, if I want to leave the Yellow Springs Planet for the other planets, what must I do?” Lu Sheng continued with his questions.

“You’d only have to find a Transportation Formation, and you’d be able to leave,” Chang Qingzi answered.

Then, Lu Sheng asked about the structure of the Green Branch Sect. When he learned that the sect had billions of disciples, he was deeply awed.

It would already be an incredible feat if Great Yin’s population could reach that number.

Then, he asked for the details regarding the activation of a Transportation Formation. He asked about the energy source and other fundamental knowledge, and recorded down everything.

Lu Sheng had put himself in the spotlight with his most recent actions. Indeed, he had managed to rescue his son, but he had also placed himself in the teeth of the storm.

As a person who managed to become a Weapon Grandmaster so soon, he was sure to attract the attention of the other powerful beings.

Before he sent Chang Qingzi away, Lu Sheng agreed for him to continue teaching his son, Lu Ning. His skill formula was not suitable for other people. Since Lu Ning had his own encounters, he decided to let him experience it freely.

“At this point, I should take care of the Three Sacred Gates first.” The First Sacred King’s clone had been killed by him at the scene. The grudge was formally formed. At this moment, a huge army was marching on the border. He had to settle this as quickly as possible. Otherwise, with the people living in fear, he was worried that some unwanted changes might occur.

Lu Sheng stood up, and was just about to leave the garden. He intended to read the latest information in the main hall.

Suddenly, an object on him vibrated slightly.

Lu Sheng’s expression shifted slightly. He quickly produced a sculpture of a pitch-black, scarred crow from his pocket.

A familiar voice slowly reached his ears from the surrounding air.

“Lu Sheng, the district bishop wants to see you. Your conflict with the First Sacred King has been noticed. Prepare for the worst.” It was Shizi Xing’s voice.

Her tone was stern and grave. It was clear that she did not have much positive thoughts about Lu Sheng meeting the bishop.

“I’ll speak in your favor as much as I can, but you’ll still have to meet him. A fortnight from now, on the night of the full moon, the district bishop will return from the Other World. You must wait for him there, otherwise you’d be bound by the Mark of Pain. You can’t run from this,” Shizi Xing continued with the details.

That was a favor.

Lu Sheng made no sound. However, his expression turned grave. Shizi Xing was willing to inform him of this news beforehand, and not imprisoning him during his next visit to the World of Pain—this was an investment.

It was either that Shizi Xing and the district bishop were on bad terms, or Shizi Xing thought that he was fit for her to invest in.

“In any case, I owe you two favors now.” Lu Sheng heaved a long sigh inwardly. From the moment he became a Weapon Grandmaster and exposed his strength, he had been preparing himself for such a situation. However, he had not expected this day to have arrived so soon, and for the World of Pain to act first.

‘A fortnight… Looks like I’ll have to do my best to improve my own strength in two weeks… After becoming a Weapon Grandmaster, my focus should be on improving my spirit. As of now, I’m not lacking in energy. Infinity Technique’s Yang Essence can be used to mimic most types of energy and abilities. So, I need to carry out enough Arrivals in the shortest amount of time possible. It’s best for me to make up for quality with frequency.’

Lu Sheng understood his own situation. He had settled the Evil Spirits, crossed the Three Sacred Gates, and now the World of Pain had come forward. His potential enemies had suddenly increased in numbers.

‘I shouldn’t dally any longer. Now that Lu Ning and the others are tending to their wounds and resting, it’s a good opportunity for me to complete an Arrival. As long as I pick a World with the greatest difference in time flow, I’ll be able to accumulate spirits in the shortest time possible and settle the wishes and karmas. Although I won’t be able to gather more powerful power systems and treasures, this is surely the fastest way for me to rank up my spirit.’

After he made the decision, Lu Sheng immediately informed his subordinates that he would be entering into secluded cultivation. He did not want his household to worry.

He also penned a letter to the Thousand Sun Sect’s sect master, Aurora Polaris. In the letter, he explained about the course of events. It was also to see what his attitude on this matter would be.

Weapon Grandmaster Aurora Polaris had formidable strength, and the Thousand Sun Sect had deep background. If he had their full support, even if he did not manage to improve his strength much through Arrivals, Lu Sheng would still have the confidence to deal with the World of Pain and the Three Sacred Gates.

Then, he wrote a letter to Li Shunxi.

After making arrangements for everything, Lu Sheng went quickly into the Research Temple and shut the door. He activated the protective formations around him.

….

“Hiss!”

Lines of dark red formation veins that resembled congealed blood shone. The crystals in the middle kept giving off glaring radiance.

The blood-red glow quickly converged and condensed into a single point. It suddenly leapt into the air and shot past the formation from above.

“Pcchht!”

As if a torn fabric, a grayish tear was forcibly opened in the space. A crack in the shape of a vertical pupil appeared.

Lu Sheng made sure that there were no mistakes in the formation runes around him. He organized the standard Arrival equipment on himself and charged headfirst into the gray crack. He vanished in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll end this quickly!”

*****************

“Clang!”

“Clang!”

“Clang!”

“Wake up! Wake! Up!” As he felt himself being shaken, Lu Sheng woke up groggily.

He looked around him in a daze. He seemed to be in a steel factory.

Not far from where he was, a huge iron hammer bore down on huge red metal boards.

Golden-red sparks flew everywhere.

There were many young men and women in blue and white-striped uniforms around him. They seemed to be adhering to a dress code like the ones you would find in schools.

“Is he alright?”

“Was he too weak or something?”

“I think I saw a spark hit him just now. I saw it.”

“Really? The professor’s chaperoning us today. The protective measures in the academy should be working just fine. How’s it possible that a student is hit by a spark?”

“I’m not sure, but I think that the heavy armor lifting system’s angle went off slightly. Maybe it’s a problem with the operator.”

The voices reached Lu Sheng’s ears in a language he had never heard before.

He pretended to keep his eyes closed while his spirit was swiftly harmonizing with this body.

Alan Federation?

Platinum Military Academy?

Lu Sheng gained a rough understanding of this new world from this body which he had Arrived in.

This was a world that completely relied on armors in battles. Armors were like mechas. Every nation was locked in a mad arms race to develop the latest and most powerful mecha.

Here, mechas were purely war weapons. Because of the over-reliance on armors, there were no overly powerful heroes. Although there were differences between the skills of different individuals, the actual difference in combat strength was not that apparent.

If an ordinary soldier wearing standard armor had formidable technique and martial skills, it was possible for him to defeat an officer with the latest technical-grade armor.

Every soldier here only battled with their armors. Once a soldier owned his own armor, even if he had a weak constitution, he would still obtain a 10% natural protection from the armor’s feedback.

‘What an amazing world… A world that relies on external objects alone? Other than combat technique, nobody in this world is cultivating to improve himself? No wonder the difference in time flow is 40:1…’

Lu Sheng kept his eyes closed as he organized his thoughts.

A time difference of 40:1. 40 days here were only equivalent to one day in Great Yin. That was more than enough for him to swiftly settle the karma here, absorb the spirit, and leave.

‘It’s no surprise. Improving, strengthening, or modifying the armors here is much more easily done than cultivating oneself. An ordinary person would only have to undergo military training for half a year, don an armor, and he would possess an Earth Prime tier’s power. It’s no wonder that nobody here wants to waste their energy to cultivate their bodies.’ Lu Sheng’s thoughts kept flowing in his head. At the same time, he made his best impression of a frail appearance and opened his eyes.

“You’re finally awake, Jorin!” exclaimed in surprise a voluptuous redhead with her hair pulled back in a ponytail beside him.

Lu Sheng realized that his body was lying down on this girl’s thighs.

The girl was also wearing the white-with-blue-stripes academy uniform. Her legs were covered in a standard black laced knee-length skirt.

“You’re… Esha?” Lu Sheng acted dazed. He slowly propped himself up and shook his head.

“Have you hit your head too hard?” asked the girl. She sounded worried. “It’s your academy grand examination next week, please don’t get into any accident.” She kept rubbing two meridian spots at the back of Lu Sheng’s head. She was trying to help him clear his head.

Lu Sheng’s eyes were not focused yet. He quickly went over the identity and condition of this body.

Jorin, male, 19 years old, and an orphan. He took the Platinum Military Academy’s entrance examination when he was 18, and successfully enrolled. He maintained average grades throughout his time. He was a second-year student of the academy’s armor course.

Esha was his girlfriend—they had been going out for a year. They were very intimate. Save for the final base, they had done everything else. They also promised to get married after Jorin’s graduation.

‘This is great. I won’t have to look for a wife on my own…’ Lu Sheng was unsure if he should laugh or cry. The Esha in his memories was very good to Jorin.

Jorin had handsome features and a slender build. However, he had a cold personality, and seldom socialized with others.

Although Esha could be borderline considered beautiful, and she did have an enticing body, her grades needed much help. She had quit the academy early on and started working. She supported Jorin’s studies with her salary. It could be said that she was doing everything she could for Jorin.