Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

It was a token, closely resembling the one they had used to enter this courtyard.

However, there were several key differences.

The first was in their respective colors.

Unlike the plain white token they had used before, this one was azure, and its surface emitted a beautiful glow.

The more important difference, however, lay on the token itself.

The previous token had been completely blank, devoid of any characteristics.

This one, however, had an intricate emblem engraved across its surface.

It depicted a shield, overlaid by a sword and a saber crossing in an "X" shape.

Around them, the silhouettes of countless unique weapons could be seen, as though they were paying homage to the central crest.

It was obvious that this token was far more extraordinary than the one Elaouthr had obtained from the corpse.

Yet no matter how hard he tried, he found no way to activate it as he had done to the previous one.

Liora watched as the demon infused it with Cosmic Energy and even attempted to resonate with it through his Laws, only for his efforts to end in failure.

This made her raise her eyebrows.

However, as her gaze lingered on the token for several more seconds, she seemed to have discovered something.

Taking a step forward, she approached both the token and Elaouthr.

She used this faint movement to conceal her true intentions.

Secretly, the Cosmic Sea within her body surged.

Wisps of demonic energy extended before silently wrapping around the azure token.

They seeped into its interior and performed a strange sequence of movements.

The demon didn’t notice anything, but someone else did.

Or rather, something else. It was the token itself.

Under Elaouthr’s stunned gaze, the azure token suddenly erupted with light.

Brilliant azure radiance spread across its surface before a phantom slowly emerged.

It was an elderly man.

He was identical to the corpse he had taken out earlier, as well as the illusion they had witnessed through the stone tablet.

The only difference was that this figure looked far more lifelike, though its eyes remained empty, lacking any true intelligence.

The elderly man didn’t give them any time before he let out a soft sigh.

His phantom looked around before looking down at itself, as though he were able to sense his current state.

A trace of disappointment flashed across his eyes.

Then, he spoke up:

"It seems my concerns were not unfounded. A greater calamity truly approaches. Before long, this entire district will be engulfed in upheaval."

The elderly man shook his head.

"My Senior Brother warned me long ago, but I dismissed his words at the time. Now... I can only make one final attempt to escape from ... Unfortunately, the chances of succeeding are slim."

He raised his head and stared toward the spot where the token was facing.

"Since you’ve obtained this token and activated its hidden mechanism, you must be someone closely connected to me."

"In that case, heed my advice."

"Be cautious with every step you take. The ... is coming. If circumstances leave you with no other choice, seek refuge with the Heavenly Armory Pavilion."

"As long as you hold this token, they will treat you as one of their own."

As he spoke, his body gradually became increasingly transparent. By the end, he looked like nothing more than a speck of light.

"If only I had listened to my Senior Brother and ... none of this would have happened. It is all my fault."

"But how could I have known that... would truly..."

"..."

The elderly cultivator’s voice lingered throughout the courtyard.

Yet near the end, his words became impossible to make out.

Only a few scattered syllables remained audible, while the rest turned into soft noise, as though someone had gone out of their way to erase them.

Liora noticed that Elaouthr showed no doubts. He seemed to find something like this natural.

After all, the projection had remained here for billions of years.

Just like the other treasures, the fact that it could still function at all was already a miracle.

Liora, however, sensed something different.

The missing words did not feel like the result of the passage of time.

Rather, it seemed as though someone—or something—had deliberately erased them.

Recalling the jade slips she had examined earlier, several of which had been devoid of any contents, she couldn’t help but form a faint guess.

Unfortunately, time did not stop to let Liora think.

Soon, the phantom spoke his final words and completely dispersed.

The azure token returned to Elaouthr’s hand and rested on top of it.

As the demon stared at it intently, the excitement in his eyes became impossible to conceal.

"I didn’t expect we’d find another key. Moreover, this is not a key to an ordinary courtyard, but to the stronghold of a force."

"The Heavenly Armory Pavilion...", he muttered under his breath, his massive body trembling violently.

Liora did not care about the treasures they had found in the courtyard, but Elaouthr did.

He was only a Rank 8 King, after all.

The treasures within the courtyard had been enough to make his combat prowess skyrocket.

Now, discovering that they had obtained the key to an even more powerful place, he found himself unable to stay calm.

Liora quietly observed him, her eyes growing increasingly profound.

Her gaze became piercing, while she took the initiative to activate the Heaven’s Eye.

Her eyes scanned over the other party several times, as though attempting to peer into his very essence.

She discovered nothing unusual about him. However, Liora had always been the one to trust her intuition.

For some reason, she felt that the demon before her was far more extraordinary than he seemed on the surface.

Thinking of this, the killing intent that had always been lurking within her eyes slowly faded.

A smile spread across her reptilian face as she patted Elaouthr on the shoulder.

"Brother, we’re really lucky. Once this expedition is over, we brothers will surely take off!"

Elaouthr was caught off guard by the sudden change in her tone, but he assumed she was as excited as he was.

A grin spread across his face, and he patted his chest with confidence.

"Don’t worry. Liothar—no, brother—we brothers will always support each other."

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