Merin opens his eyes, the abyssal black in them steady as still water, and halts the flow of devil energy.

He has reached the absolute peak of Tao Space Realm.

All nine principles, once mere wisps of elemental source, now burn as devil energy—dark and potent, sharpened by the abyss itself.

Every step of the path is complete, save the last.

To form his Tao.

But Merin already knows. His Tao has long taken root—the illusion space, his inner world, the dream he has always sought to make real.

His Tao is creation itself—turning illusion into reality.

He breathes once, and the nine principles surge, channelled into his core source.

The core swells, drawing them in, binding them together, and as it grows, his illusion space groans and stretches wider.

Mountains rise higher, seas deepen, storms spiral—his inner world begins to stabilise, not as a mirage but as a world inching toward truth.

When the last of the nine principles merges, a thunderous pulse shakes through him.

His cultivation surges forward—*Tao Master Realm.*

But Merin does not stop. He cannot.

He continues, drinking from the abyss, forcing comprehension from devil energy itself, carving it into the framework of his Tao, driving toward the Tao Great Master Realm.

Power ripples from him, impossible to hide.

The abyss stirs.

From its depths, a roar answers—low, guttural, vast enough to shake the rift around him.

A devil beast emerges, scales and hide crawling with abyssal fire, its presence steeped in ancient malice.

Its cultivation radiates beyond his—*Tao Great Master Realm.*

And it has locked onto Merin.

He releases his illusion space, and the devil beast’s overwhelming strength is forced down, suppressed to his level, the realm of Tao Master.

The battle begins, the abyss shaking with their clash.

The beast lunges with brute strength, massive claws tearing through space, abyssal flames lashing without control.

But it has no mind, no plan—only raw savagery.

Merin weaves his field with precision, setting traps within his illusion space, striking when the beast exposes itself, retreating when its fury flares.

Every move is measured, every strike premeditated, and slowly he cuts the creature down.

At last, the devil beast falls, its body collapsing into the abyss.

Merin’s spirit stretches into it, probing.

He studies its structure, seeking the difference between devil beasts and normal ones, and as he does, something catches his eye.

The principles of Law flicker faintly within its corpse, glowing threads already unravelling, fading into nothing.

Merin stills, then focuses, seizing upon them with all his will.

He comprehends furiously, absorbing what fragments he can before they vanish entirely.

By the time a day has passed, the threads dissolve completely, but in that single day, his comprehension soars—fifty per cent more than usual.

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He then absorbs the demon core, and realisation strikes.

It is faster.

Far faster than drawing from the endless devil energy of the abyss.

Hunting devil beasts is the key.

So he begins, his path now sharpened—seeking, tracking, killing devil beasts, pulling strength and comprehension from every corpse.

Years grind past.

Five years later, his aura erupts through the abyss, shaking the rift as he breaks into the *Tao Great Master Realm.*

He does not stop.

Years flow on, and he claws higher, forcing his cultivation to half-step Tao Lord Realm.

One day, while searching the abyss for his next prey, his senses catch it—violent fluctuations in the distance.

A battle.

Two powers colliding, feral and vast.

He assumes it to be devil beasts tearing at one another, and without hesitation, he turns toward it, intent on killing both.

Merin halts mid-flight as his spirit field spreads across the battlefield.

It isn’t two devil beasts locked in a struggle.

It’s a man against a beast.

His gaze sharpens instantly, drawn to the staff clutched in the human’s hands.

At its head is a crystal, pulsing faint light even within the abyss’s suffocating darkness.

The resonance hits him like a blade—familiar, unforgettable.

It feels almost identical to the *spirit crystal* of the Lanshan Sect, the very heart of his sect’s legacy.

Murderous intent flashes in Merin’s abyss-dark eyes.

His master would never permit anyone to take that crystal without blood being spilt.

The worst possibility seizes his mind.

What if the sect fell?

What if the spirit crystal was looted from Lanshan’s ruins?

His focus snaps back to the figure wielding it.

Recognition stirs.

He knows that face.

Even through the years and the abyss’s corruption, he cannot mistake it.

“Lou Yuan…”

His junior disciple.

Merin’s body tightens.

Thoughts clash like storms—shock, suspicion, betrayal.

Why is Lou Yuan here, in the Devil Abyss, wielding what should never leave the sect?

Was he also *cast aside because of me?*

Or worse… was he complicit in Lanshan’s downfall?

When Merin first arrived on the Shenyuan Continent, he had heard of Lou Yuan’s rise.

It was just before the Purple Jade Sect’s outer disciple competition.

Merin had been trapped on the battlefield at that time, drenched in blood and survival.

By the time he resurfaced, Lou Yuan had already become an inner disciple of the Purple Jade Sect, even joining battles alongside his family.

Their paths never crossed.

And now, here he is.

The thought twists in Merin’s chest like a poisoned blade—Lou Yuan must have been *authenticated by the Human Alliance*, after they branded Merin a traitor.

Merin steps forward, concealed beneath his illusion space, his aura locked down to nothingness.

He watches as Lou Yuan finishes the battle, staff glowing faintly as it shatters the skull of a late Great Master realm devil beast.

Merin’s eyes narrow.

That shouldn’t be possible.

Lou Yuan’s cultivation is only at the *initial Tao Master realm*, yet he cut down something far beyond his limit.

The truth is obvious—the staff carried him.

It’s crystal hums with a presence Merin cannot ignore.

A *saint’s aura.*

His heart sinks.

“The spirit crystal of our sect… forged into a weapon.”

How could Lou Yuan know?

Memory sparks—the rumour of the *old soul* in Lou Yuan’s ring, a hidden master whispering secrets.

That must be it.

The old soul told him.

Merin glides silently forward, and when he stops, he stands just a meter behind his junior.

His voice is cold, low, and sharp as a blade.

“Lou Yuan… how did you get the spirit crystal?”

Lou Yuan jolts, eyes widening.

He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

On instinct, Lou Yuan spins, staff blazing with power, striking straight toward the voice.

A wall of energy manifests before Merin, effortlessly blocking the blow.

But Lou Yuan doesn’t relent—his staff flares again, sending another wave of destructive force.

Merin narrows his eyes.

Even suppressed, the saint weapon’s power is sharp enough to wound him if he grows careless.

They exchange blows, strikes and counters, clashing in silence, neither able to gain ground.

Finally, Lou Yuan pulls back, panting, staff lowered but not relaxed.

“Who are you?” he demands, eyes narrowing. “How do you know me?”

Merin tilts his head, voice carrying quiet weight.

“Have you forgotten me… junior brother Lou Yuan?”

Lou Yuan frowns, studying the stranger.

Long hair streaked faintly with purple.

Crimson eyes that burn like coals.

Skin pale as death, lips edged with fangs.

An aura thick and oppressive, reeking of devil beast taint.

And yet… that face.

That face he knows.

Doubt grips him—how could someone change so completely?

Then the whisper stirs in his mind, the voice of the devil sealed in his ring.

“You are right… he is your senior brother, Yu Feng.”

Lou Yuan’s chest tightens.

“How can someone change so drastically?” he asks the devil silently.

The voice answers coldly.

“Your Senior Brother has fallen into the Devil Way.”

Fear coils in Lou Yuan’s stomach.

He takes a half step back, tightening his grip on the staff.

Cultivators who fall into the Devil Way forget their kin, their sect, their very parents.

And he is merely Yu Feng’s junior disciple.

“Senior brother…” Lou Yuan’s voice is unsteady, “…what are you doing here?”

Merin exhales softly, a bitter curve on his lips.

“Where else can I hide… except here?”

The devil’s whisper presses again into Lou Yuan’s mind.

“The Devil Abyss is the perfect hiding place for those chased by Saints.”

Lou Yuan stiffens, then nods slightly.

Merin’s eyes sharpen.

“And you, Lou Yuan… what are you doing here?”

Lou Yuan hesitates, spirit surging with unease.

Should he reveal his true purpose in this abyss to a man who now walks the Devil Way?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep