298 The World 7

"I understand…" Even though it seemed absurd, Shangyang Jun understood what kind of existence Lu Sheng was.

He had heard of the Prime Devil Sect before. A sect that once had its shining moments during a Devil Disaster, but had long since fallen from glory.

But still… reaching this level solely because of some secret arts that were perfectly suited for him? Even some of the most powerful Divine Weapon Masters couldn't even compare to him when they were his age!

Shangyang Jun still had doubts in his mind, but faced with someone even more powerful than him, he decided to keep those to himself. Even though he didn't know what Divine Weapon Lu Sheng integrated with, his Devil Master level power meant that he should be befriended at all cost.

"Then Brother Lu, the Devil General Roxim…" Shangyang Jun asked hesitantly. 

"I'll take care of him." Lu Sheng wasn't going to let his dinner escape him. "The headquarters of the Prime Devil Sect is nearby. If there's any problems, you can send a messenger."

"Alright…" Shangyang Jun stopped the small talk, and started to point Lu Sheng in the direction of the West Infinity Court.

Lu Sheng swiftly landed on the ground, standing at the edge of the giant crater created by the battle.

"Tell me, are you still... my senior apprentice brother?" He Xiangzi slowly walked out from the crowd, staring at him with a complicated expression.

Lu Sheng looked at Zhan Kongning, Zhan Hongsheng, and the other disciples of the Prime Devil Sect. Umbrella Girl, Xu Chui, and Ning San also followed him immediately, standing behind him.

"After reaching the final stage of the Phantom Listening Devil Body, I searched the ruins of our sect and acquired eight other devil body secret arts by chance. After cultivating in seclusion for a long time, I finally integrated all eight Devil Bodies and created the Ultimate Eight-Headed Devil Way. After evolving it to an unprecedented level, I finally broke through the barrier between Holy Weapon and Divine Weapon Master," Lu Sheng said in a dull voice, staring at He Xiangzi in the eyes.

"So, you tell me. Am I still me?"

He Xiangzi laughed bitterly. Was this even possible?

"Master… if master was here, he would surely make you the new sect master."

Cultivating the Phantom Listening Devil Body, along with eight other Bodies, to the final stage was a feat previously unheard of. Even a Devil Master reborn couldn't guarantee that he could do this in such a short period of time.

This level of talent couldn't be described as simply just horrifying. The word "monster" would be more suitable. 

"Let's be on our way… to the West Infinity Court." Lu Sheng didn't waste his time with nonsense. He went through the crowd in the direction of the West Infinity Court.

The rest of the Prime Devil Sect hurriedly followed.

Shangyang Jun slowly flew down from the sky. The remaining few Judges instantly flocked to his side.

"Who would have thought… that within the Hundred Lineages existed someone with such a horrifying level of power." He still couldn't make any sense of what had just happened.

Within a sect, a place built for the sole purpose of learning secret arts, a place without Divine Weapons, somehow produced a monster that cultivated the prime devil secret arts to an unprecedented level, and would probably never be surpassed in the future. 

"Maybe he was in control of a Holy Weapon, and found a Divine Weapon to integrate with?" Shangyang Shenyan theorized. 

"Still too strong. He's approaching the strength of the Devil Master that was the strategic weapon of this empire. He's at the pinnacle of Divine Masters in the Song Empire." Shangyang Jun shook his head. 

The two men surveyed their surroundings, noticing the the Alliance Army soldiers scattered by the shock wave. The auxiliary teams had moved in to take care of the aftermath. Wave after wave of soldiers was carried away, all moving toward the cluster of tents for medical treatment.

"At least one Gate of Flesh and Blood is closed, but there are many more places around the Nine Cities. A total of three gates, and the rest probably…" Shangyang Jun said with exhaustion. "Regardless, let's take care of this mess first. You go gather any soldiers and survivors; take care of the rest like we did the last Devil Disaster."

"Yes, Sir!" Shangyang Shenyan nodded.

"And now… this is our battle…" Shangyang Jun's eyes fell out of focus. Even though the Grand Marshall had been captured, the Third Devil Spirit, Huang Fu, had escaped into the forest, and was still unaccounted for. Faced with someone also at the Divine Weapon Master level, Shangyang Jun couldn't let him roam freely.

Most of the areas under attack this time within the Nine Cities were mostly under the Shangyang Family's control—aside from White Bell City and two other cities that were jointly managed by the Hundred Lineages. The rest of the cities, along with an important central city, had also suffered from Devil Disasters.

This was only one small battle in the grand scheme of things. If not for the battle between Grand Marshall Roxim and Lu Sheng, the Gate of Flesh and Blood would have opened successfully. The only outcome to follow if that had happened would be the collapse of the Alliance Army and all other contingency plans.

"Speaking of which, if not for this man from the Prime Devil Sect, even I couldn't have salvaged the situation." Shangyang Jun sighed. "The Shangyang Family owes him a big favor."

If the Gate of Flesh and Blood successfully opened, and the Devil Master within directly attacked him...

Shangyang Jun suddenly didn't want to continue his line of thought.

Shangyang Shenyan's face was also solemn. As top level personnel within the Shangyang Family, they both understood how much they owed Lu Sheng. 

***

The West Infinity Court.

The enormous castle-shaped city was covered in a deathly silence.

Strands of black Devil Qi flowed in the air. The sun was covered by dark clouds, and the rays of light that managed to penetrate through seemed to be covered by thick cloth, lifeless.

North Ning Street, Verdant Jade Road.

The empty street was covered by crimson-colored minced body parts.

In the dark corners of the streets squated a few strange creatures. Their lower body consisted of only black mist, while their upper body only had two hands and a head. These demonic creatures gathered with their backs to the light, wolfing down the rotten bodies after ripping them apart.

The air was filled with the strong, rotten smell of dead bodies, with a hint of burnt flesh.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, one of the monsters lifted its horrific head, and peered at the end of the street.

Black light flashed, and a ten meter long half-clear human-faced snake charged into the street, streaking across the street.

All the monsters in the corner were suddenly scared, and scattered without any will to resist.

The human-faced snake laughed with a strange, squeaky laugh, and continued on its way after twirling in midair. Behind it, the group of people led by a black-clad Lu Sheng stepped onto the street.

Lu Sheng frowned the moment he stepped foot into the dirt, and took a look downwards. The street was covered in dark red.

It felt like stepping onto grass or carpet, but with a disgusting, slimy, and sticky texture to it.

"At least ten thousand people died here. The blood dried, then new blood covered the street again. The same process repeated over and over made this short walk into a scene straight from hell."

Hongfang Bai had the most experience in the group, and had seen a Devil Disaster first-hand. Even her face changed slightly after seeing this horrifying scene.

Everyone was dressed in all black and traveled without rest. They managed to arrive near the West Infinity Court before it was dark.

The headquarters of the West Infinity Court was a city in its own right, serving the needs of the Court's disciples and masters. Because of that, the West Infinity Court had many properties attached to it.

The whole headquarters could very well be called West Infinity City.

Lu Sheng raised his head toward the sky. In the gap between the black gray mist in front of him and himself appeared a huge, blurry castle surrounded by the black mist creatures he just saw.

"Heheheheh..."

From far away, the shadow below the castle twisted and turned as if there was something flailing about there, trying to scare them away.

The group slowly walked to the entrance to the West Infinity Court.

The area in front of the gate was clean, with not even a single drop of blood. One could even see the clean and organized rooms inside. 

A continuous formation of light red buildings stood together, the wind howling as it blew pass them.

"Hehehehe…"

A strange laugh rang through the air once again.

"This is where master attended the Minor Sect Alliance?"Lu Sheng asked calmly. He turned his head toward the person tagging behind the crowd, his eyes straight and sharp.

"Yes…" The person was clad in black, his face covered by a pitch black hood. Faced with Lu Sheng's interrogation, he only answered calmly with one word.

"What do I need to do to find the person I'm looking for?" Lu Sheng asked again.

The person lifted his head and flipped up his hood. The tattered face of Grand Marshall Roxim appeared.

"I'm not the sect master of the West Infinity Court. I only know the general layout of it. Maybe you could ask Li Shunxi."

"If I knew something, I would've said it a long time ago." Li Shunxi also flipped up his hood.

After escaping from the Devil Army, he promptly decided to follow Lu Sheng to the West Infinity Court.

In this land ravaged by the battle against a Devil Disaster, the safest place was beside Lu Sheng. Hence, he shamelessly tagged along.

Lu Sheng examined the West Infinity Court closely. The calm appearance of the empty buildings inside was obviously hiding some unknown danger.

"Snake of Jealousy." Lu Sheng suddenly lifted his hand a small bit.

"Hiss..."

The tens of meters long half-clear human-faced snake appeared again, slowing crawling from Lu Sheng's shadow. It coiled behind Lu Sheng under everyone's shocked stares.

"Kill it."

Lu Sheng pointed at the gate in front.

"Hehehe..." The Snake of Jealousy suddenly laughed, its enormous body coiling back a little. 

"Boom!!"

The tens of meters long body shot forward instantly, pouncing at the open court directly behind the West Infinity Court gate.

At this moment, the clear court suddenly shook. The whole thing shifted to the left, and turned into a fat belly.

The belly belonged to a fat monster ten meters tall. He bent his back and stretched his hand toward the man-faced snake.

This fat monster's belly was somehow the most perfect picture and painting, and the court and buildings were all just an illusion. It almost made everyone think that his belly was the entrance.

"Boom!"

The two enormous creatures fought violently.

Everyone finally realized their mistake. 

"This… The whole court we saw was just a painting on the monster's belly??!" He Xiangzi said in a horrified voice.

After the big belly monster moved out of the way, the team finally saw the real inner West Infinity Court.

The floor was covered in dark-red blood; everything, including the walls, pillars, and slate, was dyed in it. Everything seemed to be emitting a scent of decay and ruin.

The windows of the building in front of the gate were all wide open, and shadows flashed across them occasionally.

"This... used to be the headquarters of the West Infinity Court?" Hongfang Bai asked curiously.

She now had the chance to see the headquarters of the strongest sect among the Hundred Lineages after being hunted by them. Even though it was in ruin, it was still a great opportunity.

"Let's go. The Devil Qi here is strongly contagious, so follow me closely," Lu Sheng said calmly.