At this moment, in an unknown place shrouded in pitch-black darkness, a young child lay floating unconsciously. Demonic energy raged across his entire body, yet he was like a dead person, devoid of even a shred of life force. Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from his body.
"Sigh... what a terrible mess! His soul has actually been demonized, and his Nascent Soul has been demonized as well. Fortunately, his primordial soul is extraordinary; otherwise, I'm afraid he would be no different from a demonic puppet by now." The dark shadow looked at Wu Tianjun and spoke. His demonic energy had dissipated significantly, turning faint and blurry; it seemed he could not last much longer.
"Is there no way for you to restore the main soul to its original state? Isn't the demonic energy yours?" The primordial soul, currently in temporary control of the body, spoke. At this moment, Wu Tianjun's demonic Nascent Soul and main soul were fast asleep. In essence, he was only one-third of Wu Tianjun right now.
"Even though the demonic energy is mine, it is still demonic energy. How could I control it completely? Not to mention, I am not the main body. Furthermore, with his soul and Nascent Soul asleep, how can I help?" The Old Demon was also at his wits' end.
"So we must wait for them to wake up?" The primordial soul said, lost in thought. "Then what about my clansmen?" Previously, Wu Tianjun's primordial soul had taken advantage of several Holy Gods dispersing his demonic body to temporarily seize control of the physical body. Using a teleportation method provided by the Old Demon, he had fled just as the attacks landed. Consequently, the outside world saw the explosion of demonic energy and assumed he was dead. However, he could not see his clansmen here now.
"Rest assured! The unstable space at that moment caused the teleportation to be interrupted, and your clansmen were teleported to the outer domain. Although they will be injured, their lives are not in danger. Wu Tianyuan was sent by me to another place to inherit my power. Only you..." the Old Demon said with a hint of worry.
"Then what about my mother, Wu Shenpo, Wu Shenkong, my Great-Grandfathers... and my clansmen?" Wu Tianjun's primordial soul said with a trace of fear.
"Wait for your main soul to awaken..." The Old Demon sighed. His remaining time was also running short.
Time flew by. A year later, there was still no sign of Wu Tianjun's soul or demonic Nascent Soul awakening. On this day, his soul finally stirred slightly.
"Ah..." Wu Tianjun's soul, currently demonized, possessed no sanity whatsoever. He roared like a demon, shaking the surrounding space. His cultivation realm had actually reached the peak of the Earth Dan stage.
"Suppress him quickly!" The Old Demon immediately made a move to stop him from struggling, while shouting at the primordial soul to calm the main soul down. However, another unexpected change occurred.
"I... am coming..." A halting yet hoarse voice echoed from Wu Tianjun's dantian, and with it, he actually began to calm down gradually.
As his soul awakened, the demonic Nascent Soul also opened its eyes, miraculously possessing a trace of intelligence. The demonic Nascent Soul then opened its mouth and inhaled gently. The demonic energy corrupting the soul was drawn out and swallowed by the demonic Nascent Soul. After a long time, nearly six hours later, Wu Tianjun opened his eyes. His gaze was no longer pitch-black but clear and distinct. He looked at his own hands and feet for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the Old Demon.
"I have fallen into demonhood, haven't I?" Wu Tianjun's childish yet powerful voice rang out.
"Hmph, more or less. Fortunately, you were born with a miraculous primordial soul, so it didn't leave behind too severe of a consequence. With me around, your physical body won't have any major issues. The real problem lies with your soul." The Old Demon said worriedly. His soul had been corrupted and eroded by the demonic energy, leaving behind immense future trouble.
"Hmph! You don't need to worry about this. My Nascent Soul transforming into a Demonic Infant won't let demonic energy affect me. After some time, it should be fine," Wu Tianjun said, inspecting his Demonic Infant internally.
"You will have to resolve this matter yourself then," the Old Demon sighed.
"Old Demon, can you tell me about the Primordial Beings? And what is the deal with my Archaic Demonic Veins?" Wu Tianjun turned and asked. Although his Demonic Infant had already fallen into a deep sleep, he knew that it had actually developed sentience. This was supposed to be fundamentally impossible.
"Let's talk about your demonic veins first! During the Archaic Era, after the great war of the Primordial Beings ended, new races emerged to compete in a terrifying struggle. At that time, the two strongest races were the Archaic God Race and the Archaic Demon Race. Their power back then was close to that of the Primordial Beings, and some among them could even fight on equal terms with them. You not only possess the Archaic Demonic Veins but also the Origin Veins of the God Race. This can only be explained by you inheriting the lineage of the Primordial Beings, allowing you to harbor both lineages simultaneously. In ancient times, these two lineages were mortal enemies," the Old Demon explained.
"Oh! So that's how it is. No wonder my Demonic Infant also developed sentience!" Wu Tianjun remarked nonchalantly.
"Huh? What did you say?" the Old Demon asked in shock.
"What do you mean, Old Demon? The Archaic God Race's Origin Soul is born with sentience, so naturally, the Archaic Demon Race's Nascent Soul should have sentience too. Is there anything strange about that?"
"How is this possible? Your God Origin Veins could birth sentience because you inherited the Ancestral Veins of the God Race, whose Origin Soul techniques are incredibly powerful. However, even in the Archaic Era, only two people ever had Origin Souls with sentience, and they were on par with the Primordial Beings. The Archaic Demon Race is different; their Demonic Infants are powerful and their physical bodies transcend normal limits, but a Demonic Infant has never been known to birth sentience..." The Old Demon did not know what words to use to describe this kid's absurd luck.
"Is that so... It seems I've received a blessing in disguise." Wu Tianjun was also startled, though he did not fully comprehend the gravity of it yet. He then looked back at the Old Demon. "Then what about the Primordial Beings..."
"The Primordial Beings... Legend has it that they have existed since the formation of the universe. They were the ones who established the laws. The Great Desolate Beasts and Monster Beasts of today are merely their descendants, or entities derived from their flesh and blood..." the Old Demon said.
"Oh! Then where did they all go? It seems that since ancient times, there has been no mention of them at all..." Wu Tianjun asked, puzzled.
"Dead... Or waiting for rebirth," the Old Demon said, as if reminiscing.
"Huh? They were born when the universe was formed, so how could they die? Who could possibly have the power to do that..." Wu Tianjun said, startled.
"They slaughtered each other! And their descendants also played a part in driving them to extinction..." the Old Demon sighed.
"This... Why did they fight each other?" Wu Tianjun could not understand. Why would they suddenly start slaughtering each other out of nowhere?
"I do not know this secret history either..." Even the Old Demon was ignorant of this.
"Eh?!? Wait, Old Demon, what era did you actually live in?" For the Old Demon to know all of this, he must have lived through countless eras.
"Haha, kid, you sure have a lot of questions," the Old Demon suddenly laughed. "I come from the Archaic Demon Race... You tell me." The Old Demon's tone suddenly turned solemn and domineering, as if he were reminiscing about the days when he commanded the winds and clouds.
"The Archaic Demon Race? Then... could it be that you have lived from the Archaic Era until now? How is that even possible?" Wu Tianjun said, his eyes wide with shock.
"Haha, it is merely a lingering existence. Soon, I will no longer exist in this world..." the Old Devil said with a laugh.
"How could someone as powerful as you perish?" Wu Tianjun speculated that the Old Devil might have already surpassed the God Realm, reaching an entirely different level.
"Sigh..." the Old Devil sighed.
"Who was it? Once I grow strong enough in the future, if I have the ability, I will avenge you!" Wu Tianjun said resolutely.
The Old Devil looked at him, smiled, and said, "I believe if that fellow is still alive, you will have your chance. In the future, you will absolutely rival the Primordial beings, perhaps even the strongest among them." He stared at him. Just the fact that his Devil Infant had birthed sentience was enough to qualify him to stand alongside the Primordial beings, and with his Origin Soul added to the mix... the Old Devil truly did not know what heights he would reach.
"Is that person dead too?" Wu Tianjun asked, finding it hard to believe.
"I don't know! But this era does not allow him to exist. Perhaps he is dead, perhaps he has been resurrected—I do not know," the Old Devil said with a sigh.
"Was he also a Primordial being?" Wu Tianjun asked inquisitively.
"Hmph! It wasn't too difficult for you to guess. You will understand in the future," the Old Devil said.
"Can you not be resurrected?" Wu Tianjun asked again.
"If I could have entered reincarnation, I wouldn't be in this state. I only hope that if you have the ability one day, you will help make this world whole." The Old Devil sighed.
"Help make the world whole? How is this world incomplete?" Wu Tianjun asked, deeply perplexed.
"Sigh... when you reach the level I had when I was alive, you will understand. Telling you now would do you no good. You only need to understand that the God Realm is not the ultimate limit of this world; in fact, it is merely the beginning of the Great Dao." The Old Devil looked at him.
"Then I will ask again in the future," Wu Tianjun conceded. "What about my clan?"
"Your parents were teleported to the same place, though I do not know where. Wu Xingchen, Wu Chenkong, Wu Chenpo, and Wu Zhouyun were teleported to the same location together, so they should be fine. As for your eldest brother, Wu Tianyuan, I brought him to a place of inheritance. He is currently receiving that power and will likely emerge from seclusion before long. By my estimates, he will reach at least the fourth level of the God Realm. You must not fall behind him! As for your other clansmen, I fear the situation is not very optimistic. They were teleported to various places across the starry sky. Since the star domains are currently merging, the teleportation process suffered many disruptions, and many have likely lost their lives." The Old Devil explained the whereabouts of the Wu clan members in one breath. "As for you, you are currently inside my mini-universe. Absorbing it completely will cause your cultivation realm to skyrocket. It all depends on how much you can withstand." The Old Devil looked at Wu Tianjun with anticipation.
"Old Devil, why have you helped us so much?" Wu Tianjun was astonished by the Old Devil's arrangements.
"Consider it my own selfishness! With you around, my Archaic Devil Clan will one day have hope of re-emerging in the world. Not to mention, if you can make reincarnation whole in the future, I will also have a chance at resurrection." The Old Devil smiled faintly. "My time is running out. You should receive my power now. Once you are strong enough, you can help me reincarnate and be reborn." The Old Devil spoke quickly, and then his figure dissolved into the void. Immediately after, the surrounding devilish qi rushed into Wu Tianjun's body like a torrential flood.
"Old Devil..." Wu Tianjun called out loudly, but there was no response. He had no idea where the Old Devil had gone. With a quiet sigh, he allowed the devilish qi to enter his body, circulating it through his meridians.
"Since I possess both the Demonic Meridian and the Divine Meridian, and the Divine Meridian has been cultivating all this time, perhaps the Demonic Meridian can also do the same now," Wu Tianjun thought to himself. He then absorbed the Demonic Qi and guided it solely into his Demonic Meridian. The Divine Meridian showed no reaction whatsoever, proving his assumption correct.
"Main Soul, let me..." The Demonic Infant unexpectedly woke up at this moment and transmitted a message.
"Huh? You can cultivate on your own?" Wu Tianjun asked the Demonic Infant in surprise.
"It just appeared on its own..." the Demonic Infant replied, sounding equally confused.
"It is the inheritance of the Primordial Demonic Meridian. They carry the inheritance within their bloodline..." At this moment, the Origin Soul suddenly spoke up.
"Bloodline inheritance?" Wu Tianjun was taken aback. That couldn't be right! He was the one who possessed the Demonic Meridian, so his soul should be the one receiving the inheritance.
"Perhaps..." The Origin Soul sent this final message before falling into a deep sleep. Not long after, Wu Tianjun's soul also drifted into slumber, leaving only the Demonic Infant, which was circulating the Demonic Qi through an incredibly complex pathway. Consequently, this entire stretch of starry sky fell into silence, save for the Demonic Qi that continuously surged into the tiny sitting figure.
Author's Note: This chapter was written while the author was working or sleepy, so there might be some typos. I hope everyone can overlook them!