Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

Chapter 740: 718, Ominous Signs

The ocean churned up massive waves.

The sea wind howled crazily, and as far as the eye could see, the entire sea surface was shrouded in dark clouds.

Layer upon layer of seawater swirled like a mixing bucket, forming a vortex.

Such severe weather was rarely seen at sea.

But now, there were no signs of it stopping.

One of the Four Pillars, the Demon God Paimon, was one of the most terrifying demon gods.

Moreover, it was the only terrifying existence that had escaped from the inside of Hell’s Gate.

It had been lying dormant for who knows how many years.

All along, it hid in the shadows, waiting for Du Wei’s appearance to fulfill its purpose.

But now.

Paimon’s situation was not good.

It was locked in a deadly fight with the Evil Spirit Du Wei and was at a disadvantage.

It wasn’t that it didn’t want to escape.

It simply couldn’t.

The moment it leaped into reality, it would be forced by the Evil Spirit Du Wei into that pale world, and the shattered gap would automatically mend.

The Everlasting Flower was also madly devouring this world.

Either kill the Evil Spirit Du Wei or be killed by the Evil Spirit Du Wei.

There was no other choice.

The battle between it and the Evil Spirit Du Wei was something ordinary people could never see.

Because they were not human.

This was a battle on another plane, a conceptual confrontation.

Only conceptual existences could join this fight.

There was a roar reverberating.

It sounded somewhat like the cry of a baby, yet also like the scream of a woman.

The sound penetrated everything.

Even if unheard, it would emerge in one’s mind, engraving itself in the consciousness.

That was Paimon’s power.

The Evil Spirit Du Wei grunted.

Below its feet was a vast darkness, within which countless evil spirits influenced the world, while the stark white area opposite was Paimon’s fortress.

After all, Paimon was one of the Four Pillars.

It was difficult to kill.

Moreover, Paimon had assimilated all the demon gods that the Evil Spirit Du Wei had previously assimilated, gaining even an additional demon god’s power.

As one fell, another rose.

Even if the Evil Spirit Du Wei was full of bugs, it couldn’t kill Paimon in a short amount of time.

Or rather.

It basically couldn’t kill it.

The assimilated demon gods were supposed to be utterly dead, yet on Paimon’s side, there existed concepts, so death did not exist for those demon gods.

Rahmer, banished to an unknown space, was the same.

It did not exist in this world, yet there was a possibility of return.

The roar continued.

Paimon’s enormous face took up half of the pale world.

The Evil Spirit Du Wei reached out its hand, and the darkness behind it writhed.

A huge shadow emerged.

The shadow had blood-red eyes, one hand holding a massive kitchen knife, the other a broken surgical scalpel.

It was the Black Shadow.

“Hold it down for me,”

said the Evil Spirit Du Wei with an indifferent voice. In its hands, the Black Shadow twisted and deformed, turning into a spear-like object at one end, while at the other end, the spreading darkness looked like a flag.

The next second.

It threw its hand forward.

The spear, forged from the Black Shadow, directly pierced into Paimon’s huge face, firmly nailing the sharply divided pale world.

Crack, crack, crack…

The spear trembled. Under the oppression of Paimon’s power, the Black Shadow simply couldn’t hold out and soon showed signs of reverting to its original form.

That was because there was a world of difference between the Black Shadow and these conceptual existences.

It genuinely couldn’t have much effect.

Now, on the side of the Evil Spirit Du Wei, the only thing that could truly confront Paimon was the Everlasting Flower.

But that flower was still growing.

Moreover, it was completely uncontrollable.

The Evil Spirit Du Wei only used it to surround this world that did not exist in reality, or rather, a prison.

Thus.

The Evil Spirit Du Wei stretched out its hand toward the Black Shadow nailed in the pale world, coldly declaring, “You are my shadow, and from now on, you shall be part of my concept.”

With a boom.

In the darkness behind it, countless evil spirits, demon spirits, and even strangeness surged over as though they had gone mad.

These peculiar existences infused the Black Shadow with new power.

And it.

The Evil Spirit Du Wei was endowed with a concept.

One could say that the shadow would become a kind of Demon God, yet not a Demon God in existence.

Crack…

The pale world pinned by the spear-like shadow throbbed wildly like a heart, as Evil Spirits continuously bored into it.

The world was expanding.

Whoosh…

A downpour fell.

The world, like a book, turned to a new page.

The conceptual confrontation was ceaseless.

What you saw and knew this second was only for this second.

And in the previous second.

At the previous moment in time, the confrontations that might have taken place could be completely contrary to your knowledge.

…

The battle between the Evil Spirit Du Wei and Paimon would last for a very long time.

This was already the best scenario.

If it weren’t for a coincidence.

If it hadn’t given up assimilating the Demon God, believing itself to be the strongest, perhaps by the time the dust had settled and it truly began to eliminate Solomon’s Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods one by one, the situation would be one-sided.

Paimon would become a terrifying entity encompassing all Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods.

No one would be able to turn the tide.

For all power originated from the Demon God.

Thankfully…

There was still time.

…

Elsewhere.

Within the vast expanse of snow-covered mountains.

A sacrifice ritual had already begun.

Lord Ferren was presiding over everything; this ritual, one that the Vanity Sect had schemed for untold years, was accomplished by replenishing its members, except for the three—Alfaria, Brand, Gascogne.

Once the ritual was completed.

The thirteen would become an absolute unity.

And each mask had stolen a portion of the Demon God’s power.

As an undercover agent.

Lord Ferren was now extremely restless.

He knew that, once the ritual was complete, he would become another existence, his memories, his abilities, all would hold no secret.

Just like a piece of a puzzle, everyone was a part of it.

Once assembled, there would be no secrets anymore.

He was the former Pope of the Church.

He had the intent to stop the ritual.

But Lord Ferren felt powerless.

He had spent far too long within the Vanity Sect.

There was simply no possibility of removing the mask.

Once upon a time, when he decided to infiltrate the Vanity Sect in this manner, he was prepared for a mortal outcome.

However…

Sin was a mire, drawing one deeper the more they struggled.

Even if one fell in deliberately, escape was impossible.

It wasn’t about betraying the Church; he couldn’t betray the Vanity Sect.

“I can’t even manage to die.”

Lord Ferren thought bitterly in his heart.

In front of him was a high platform.

Alfaria stood at the very top, his arms raised high, forming a strange gesture towards the sky.

But his head was bowed.

A mask concealed Alfaria’s face, leaving only his eyes visible, and those eyes glowed with a Strangeness, somewhat akin to that of rock…

His gaze was upon all members of the Vanity Sect.

Under his watchful eye were each and every one of them.

When the ritual ended, it would be time for Armored Divinity Ascension.

The ritual would not fail.

Alfaria was confident; he had control over all the remaining individuals.

And at this moment.

The ritual reached a critical juncture.

Every person ascended the high platform, standing at specific points, each spot adorned with strange objects—be it mucus, a pool of blood, or a toad.

All were chanting the same phrase.

“The flesh shall decay, the soul forges the shell.”

“All things, all powers shall amalgamate.”

“To form a new being.”

“We are a part of it, and it is an extension of our concept.”