Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Unlike what Liora originally expected, the jade slip contained neither a cultivation technique nor a treasure map.

Instead, it held several seemingly mundane records.

"Taoist Jadecrane recently welcomed a healthy brood of Jade Cranes."

"The Medicine Pavilion has introduced a new medicinal pill: Evergreen Elixir."

"The Viewing Tower’s new short-form image projection, ’Roomback,’ has officially been released. Purchase tickets at the named location!"

The more information Liora digested, the stranger her expression became.

It did not take her long to realize what she was reading.

A newspaper. Or rather, an ancient equivalent of one.

The jade slip contained everything from daily news to advertisements for newly released products and various services.

References to cultivation did appear from time to time, but they merely served as part of the background rather than the main focus.

Although the contents felt somewhat bizarre, Liora was not particularly disappointed.

At the very least, she had confirmed her earlier speculation regarding the identity of the ancient city’s residents.

Unlike the "modern" humans, who cultivated through the Gene Awakening system, these ancient humans followed an entirely different power system:

Cultivation.

Liora had not known much about this subject in the past, only knowing that such power systems were regarded as exceptionally powerful.

However, after arriving in the Hollow City, she had come across records describing similar power systems.

More importantly, she had personally encountered something comparable.

"The Warriors of the Demon Weapon World can be considered an immature form of cultivators. If the power system I left behind continues to evolve, those Warriors will likely turn into true cultivators one day."

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, though only an instant passed in reality.

Her consciousness swept across the remaining jade slips in her hand.

Unfortunately, the results remained the same.

Some contained daily records, others announcements, while a few were advertisements.

Some among them were completely blank, much to her surprise.

Regardless, not a single cultivation technique could be found.

Liora shook her head.

Even after examining several batches of jade slips, the outcome remained exactly the same.

She soon gave up searching for a technique.

She suspected that cultivation techniques might have been considered incredibly precious in ancient times.

Rather than recording them casually inside jade slips, they were probably passed down orally or preserved inside heavily guarded locations.

Perhaps only the true powerhouses of this lost civilization possessed the qualifications to leave such inheritances behind.

Having confirmed that she would find nothing else of value among the jade slips, Liora soon shifted her attention to the remaining items.

Weapons and several small strips of paper.

The purpose of the former was obvious given the identity of the courtyard’s owner.

As Liora infused them with her demonic energy, ancient inscriptions lit up across their surfaces.

Unfortunately, most of the weapons crumbled under the pressure.

Time had long taken a toll on them, leaving behind mere empty shells that shattered beneath even the slightest trace of power.

Liora remained calm.

She continued activating each weapon one after another.

In the end, only two survived.

A silver longsword and a small shield.

As demonic energy flowed into them, Liora immediately felt her consciousness split and connect with both artifacts at once.

The sensation was unfamiliar.

Devils didn’t reject any power, no matter where it came from. External means such as weapons were included.

However, they seldom relied upon them.

Aside from her journey through the Demon Weapon World, Liora had rarely wielded weapons herself.

Most battles were fought either with her own body or through her self-created and bloodline abilities.

Wielding the flying sword felt quite novel to her.

With a thought, the silver blade shot into the air.

It whistled through the courtyard before slashing toward the empty space right in front of her.

The blade shone brilliantly.

The surrounding air trembled as a sharp aura erupted from its edge and attacked its surroundings.

For a brief moment, Liora found the experience rather interesting.

Unfortunately, her initial excitement quickly faded away.

These weapons... were simply too weak.

Just as she had expected, they were only suitable for Rank 7 Awakeners.

Moreover, after countless years, their power had significantly diminished.

"That makes sense. No matter how extraordinary the cultivators’ methods were, ordinary weapons could never preserve their strength forever. Billions of years have passed."

"As for the weapons that could withstand the passage of time, they certainly wouldn’t be left inside the residence of an ordinary cultivator."

Liora did not discard the weapons but stored them away.

Even if they could not be used during battle, they still possessed some research value.

Only after the two had vanished did she turn her attention toward the strips of paper.

Using the same method as before, she poured her demonic energy into one of them.

The next moment, a tearing sound echoed throughout the courtyard.

The paper instantly disintegrated.

In its place, a blazing fireball appeared.

Liora found herself unable to control it.

The instant it materialized, the flames shot toward the direction the paper had faced before.

As it streaked through the air, its aura rapidly intensified.

The attack possessed power comparable to an ordinary Rank 7 strike and was more than enough to severely injure, if not outright kill, a Rank 6 Awakener.

Yet as the fireball landed onto its target, the expected destruction did not occur.

The fireball landed was instantly brushed away.

Within a split second, the flames that could have incinerated entire planets vanished, not leaving behind a single trace.

Elaouthr turned around and looked at Liora.

Feeling the lingering warmth on one of his scales, he shook his head.

"Be more careful. There might be even more powerful items within the courtyard.", he reminded her before resuming his own search.

Liora looked visibly disappointed.

The strips of paper—which were clearly cultivation talismans—had proven no more useful than the weapons before them.

Although they had retained more of their original power, their effects were still insignificant.

At least for Liora.

After all, any casual attack from her at the moment far surpassed the power of a Rank 7 Awakener.

"It seems that this treasure hunt has been for naught. Thankfully, I at least managed to gather some useful information.", Liora let out a sigh.

Despite this, with the idea that there was no need to waste them, she began collecting the items scattered within the courtyard.

Weapons, jade slips, talismans. One after another, they disappeared into the Cosmic Sea.

Since both she and her demon companion were doing the same, it didn’t take long for the courtyard to be emptied.

Or at the very least, that was what Liora initially thought.

Soon after, she noticed the demon holding something in his hand.

Compared to his overall size, the object was truly insignificant.

Yet it instantly drew her attention like a magnet.

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Author’s Note: Sorry for the messed-up schedule. I’m going to be extremely busy this week and it has messed up my schedule.

I’ll be uploading two Chapters per day as usual, but I can’t promise to release them on time (although I will try my best).

Thanks for reading!

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