Fragmented images flashed through the mind like fleeting glimpses of light, the Demon Lord Heku recalling some events.
Memories were divided into two types. On one hand, there were the memories of conquering and killing from a young True Demon to become one of the Demon Lords of the Eighth Layer of the Demon Abyss, all under the "care" of the Blood Moon after her memories suddenly disappeared ten thousand years ago.
This portion of memory was the embodiment of "evil."
On the other hand, there were the positive values instilled in her memory by that male and female immortal, such as "kindness to others," "love for peace," "justice," "democracy," and "harmony."
These two sets of memories gradually evolved into two wills, with good and evil thoughts constantly intertwining and tangling in her mind, plunging the Demon Lord Heku into immense pain. Her dark eyes churned with emotions, sometimes ferocious, as if wanting to destroy everything.
At other times, they became clear, filled with tenderness and love, like a Buddha pitying all sentient beings.
"Roar~"
The entanglement of the two wills made the Demon Lord Heku’s demon soul and head feel as if they were tearing apart. The entire demon began to doubt its existence.
The Demon Lord Heku let out a massive roar, its sound like an invisible storm emanating from her colossal body, plowing the already ruined earth hundreds of feet deep, and sending black ash flying.
"Who am I?!"
The more she thought, the more painful it became. The Demon Lord Heku cried out, her true name, engraved in her demon soul, revealing that her demon name consisted of 186 characters, Behemoth Gana Evelyn Mingfei Los... (m characters omitted).
These 186 characters were etched into her soul and the depths of her memory, encompassing various complex demonic scripts, but none of them were "Heku."
She had used Heku as her demon title for all these years because an unseen will had told her that her name was Heku, so she followed her inner intuition and outwardly claimed the title of Demon Lord Heku.
Little did she know that the origin of this name was given by the unknown "immortal couple" who, seeing her pitiful appearance, had named her Heku.
What a great irony.
Then there were the fragments of the so-called "compulsory education" that lasted nearly nine hundred years, constantly reappearing. Although blurry, they carried a sense of beauty she had never experienced.
This beauty made her reluctant to abandon these memories, but it also caused her good and evil thoughts to become evenly matched.
In the deep sea of the Demon Lord Heku’s will, the two opposing forces of good and evil continued to intertwine and struggle. Her eyes gradually lost their luster, and her body, composed of countless stacked and intertwined tentacles, began to rot and wither.
Just as her demon soul and body were about to collapse, a soft beam of light from the blood moon in the sky shone upon her majestic and ferocious form, and gradually, all changes subsided.
"My name... is Naga."
The Demon Lord Heku uttered a murmur, the kindness in her eyes gradually receding, replaced by overwhelming malice.
Billions of black tentacles writhed, and the almost withered outer skin regained its luster, becoming even blacker than ink, even growing slightly larger.
"Born as a demon, how can I live in obscurity beneath the dark Demon Abyss? We Demon Lords should sweep across all realms, our demonic presence dominating the heavens, forging an immortal body with the souls and flesh of all immortals."
Her voice echoed throughout the Eighth Layer of the Demon Abyss, as if making a grand vow, drawing the scarlet radiance of the blood moon from the heavens, bathing the land in blood.
"Boom!"
Heku, no, Demon Lord Naga’s will moved. In an instant, billions of tentacles rapidly shrank. The part of her body below her neck seemed to transform into a black hole that devoured everything, sucking all the tentacles into it. After a few breaths, it transformed into a shapely body, with a tail several feet long extending from her tailbone, swaying gently.
On her face, the culprit that made her appearance look so sorrowful: the complex demonic patterns, attached in an inverted eight shape, with the front end sinking and the tail end rising, instantly changed her demeanor. The entire demon became resplendent and enchanting, her eyes shimmering with captivating beauty.
Combined with her figure and the various gorgeous demonic patterns on her body, she was a natural beauty.
"Could that Yu Zhibo... be that immortal?"
Demon Lord Naga’s red lips curved slightly, a hint of amused malice in her eyes. She slowly closed her eyes, wanting to sense Yu Zhibo and the location of his small world.
The will of that small world was weak. At her current level, she could drain it dry and cause it to collapse with just a single tentacle. When Yu Zhibo died, all karmic debts would naturally dissipate.
But to her surprise, she could no longer sense the existence of that world.
"How can this be?"
She suddenly opened her eyes, her red lips parted, and her eyes were filled with astonishment: she could not sense the direction of that world.
"It's that corrupt Heavenly Dao again!"
A cold glint flashed in Demon Lord Naga’s eyes. She no longer dwelled on the location of that world and closed her eyes again.
In the deep sea of her will, a phantom image of a blood moon appeared, then transformed into an unseen guidance, falling upon a corner of the Southern Region of the Qingchu Continent.
There, it was the location of the Liberation Sect.
"Since the Blood Moon guides me, the first stop for conquering the Immortal Realm shall be here!"
Demon Lord Naga flicked her slender fingers, and the spatial barrier was instantly broken, revealing a mountain range shaped like a sword.
"Liberation Sect of the Qian Kingdom in the Southern Region? A single strand of my hair can destroy it!"
Demon Lord Naga smiled faintly, and a strand of hair fell from her forehead, drifting into the spatial rift.
After flying out of the spatial rift, the strand of hair grew in the wind, instantly transforming into a Demon Abyss that spanned above the Liberation Sect. Wherever it passed, the void shattered, demonic laws intertwined, and it pressed down with world-ending force.
"Not good, the Demon Abyss has appeared!"
At the Liberation Sect, Xu Yuanhong, who had integrated the spirit network with the Liberation Sect's protective formation, was the first to notice the anomaly in the sky and immediately let out a roar.
"Heh heh, mere struggles of ants!"
Demon Lord Naga scoffed, appreciating the dying struggles of these "ants" with a world-conquering demeanor.
As the first stop for conquering the Immortal Realm, she naturally would not risk herself. Releasing a strand of hair was to test whether the Heavenly Dao of the Qingchu Continent would interfere, and to lure out the great demonic figures of the Southern Region.
However, based on her understanding of those great demonic figures, as long as she didn't attack their mountain gates, they shouldn't intervene for a small sect in a small country, right?
After all, if they weakened their own forces because of it, their equally matched sects would likely devour them completely, leaving nothing behind. This was the flaw of humans; even after achieving immortality, their selfish nature was hard to conceal.
As soon as the Demon Abyss, spanning thousands of miles across heaven and earth, formed, endless demonic energy surged out, transforming into demons formed from the residual demonic thoughts of various demon realms. The lowest level was the Nascent Soul stage, and they swept out in all directions.
Wherever they passed, ordinary living beings exploded, and cultivators with even a little cultivation were corrupted by the demonic energy, their magic treasures rendered useless, their faces blackened with deathly aura.
At the same time, the Liberation Sect's protective formation was activated. With a flash of golden light, it transformed into a giant shield that protected the entire sect.
"Demon Lord Heku, I, Bai Yinchen, will protect this sect. Retreat quickly!"
Just as the Liberation Sect's protective formation was about to collapse, a celestial fox phantom appeared, transforming into a cold-faced, peerlessly beautiful woman who shattered the entire Demon Abyss with a single kick.
"Jade Fox Heavenly Venerate!"
Demon Lord Naga’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly.