...Chapter 1, Nine Serenities Secret Records...

On the highest platform of Devil Peak stood a black-garbed man with rapt attention.

High above the clouds, the sun and moon hung side by side, flooding the land below in their warm glow and sharp coldness. The man took deep breaths as he spread his arms toward the sky, and the lights gathered in his palms. And the world dimmed.

A foul wind stirred, wreathing with endless howls of agony from untold ghosts.

The wind picked up the man’s elegant hair, revealing a demonic face behind.

The sun and the moon dimmed while the man grew in power from the rays. Soon, even dark energy began to rise from him.

With his face battered by the freezing winds, the dark energy grew thicker until it covered him whole. He released a breath and an evil smile adorned his face.

Rumble!

With a loud sound as the trigger, the four mountains in vicinity erupted while Devil Peak itself was wracked by terrible tremors. The man absorbing the essences of the sun and moon opened his eyes.

With a space rending sound, seven flashes of light appeared. As the light scattered, there stood seven figures radiating ruthless power.

His eyebrows shook but a fraction as the man spoke in an eerie voice, “How are the seven of you here? Didn’t you all despise us, demonic cultivators, to no end?”

“Humph, Demonic Emperor, Zhuo Yifan, isn’t it obvious why we’re here?” An old man stroked his white beard as he gave a look of disdain.

His heart skipped a beat and Zhuo Yifan sounded out, “Geezer Sword Emperor, I do not know what you mean.”

“Humph, stop faking it and take out the Nine Serenities Secret Records.” A female Daoist stepped arrogantly as she threw her chin forward.

Zhuo Yifan paled.

It had been only a month since he found the legendary Nine Serenities Emperor’s dwelling. After brushing death countless times in the process, he finally obtained the written accounts he wished to study for all his life. How was it that they caught wind of this?

He suddenly recalled something and his face grew darker by the second.

“Zhao Chen, come out,” shouted Zhuo Yifan.

A cheery voice rang through the empty forest on the mountain. Immediately, a handsome youngster in white robes walked from behind the seven, smiling; all the while as he made a curt bow to Zhuo Yifan, “Ha-ha-ha, Master, did you ask for me?”

Zhuo Yifan glared with hatred at the hypocrite and said, “Is this your doing?”

“Yes!” nodded Zhao Chen with a smile.

“Did you also cancel the guarding array?”

“Yes!”

“Why? I never slight you in the least.” Zhuo Yifan clenched his fist as murderous intent flared out from his eyes.

Despite being a demonic cultivator, he normally did not kill without reason. If he did, he was just acting out on his nature. Else, those righteous cultivators would’ve come to end him much sooner. Zhao Chen, for that matter, was an orphan that Zhuo Yifan took in when he saw his talent. Yet, who’d have thought the day would come when Zhao Chen would betray him.

Despite putting a front with his calm demeanor, before Zhuo Yifan’s increasing killing intent, Zhao Chen’s feet betrayed him as he took two steps back, moving closer to the seven beings behind him.

“Master, I understand your kindness is as heavy as a mountain. But that doesn’t give you the right to steal the Eight Emperor seat and cast me in your shadow for all eternity. Even more so, regarding the Nine Serenities Secret Records. Ever since you’ve obtained it, you’ve trained alone, even afraid of me catching a glimpse of it.”

Zhuo Yifan’s heart clenched when he heard this.

Zhao Chen would never know he did it for his sake. Having low cultivation and going headfirst into studying the Nine Serenities Secret Records would deviate one’s cultivation. He had opted to understand it in its entirety and only then impart it to him.

Yet all his plans were ruined in just a short month.

“Ha-ha-ha well said. Zhao Chen, you’re a true disciple!”

Zhuo Yifan’s roaring laughter reached the heavens and so did his rage, “Since it is so, Master will give you a taste of the Nine Serenities Secret Records.”

“Zhuo Yifan, it is not your place for such unbridled words in the presence of us seven.” The white-bearded old man stepped before Zhao Chen.

“Humph, everyone in the Sacred Domain knows me as the Eight Emperor. I could care less if all seven of you Emperors come at me together!”

No sooner said than done, Zhuo Yifan launched a palm at Zhao Chen.

A black claw flashed in the sky reaching out for him.

His eyes shrunk, face paled, and retreated with haste, fear having taken its grip on the youth.

In the face of that powerful claw, the old man drew a sword. A sword wave flashed and the black claw was turned to nothing.

“Humph, Nine Serenities Secret Records is nothing great.” The old man stood in the wind with his sword ready, disdain all over his face.

Zhuo Yifan smiled and waved his palms, “Geezer, stop being so arrogant.”

Boom!

As if endless thunders were rumbling, the sky was covered by thousands of black palms, bearing down on the seven. Each palm was twice as big as the claw. Such power reached a new height that even the seven were in shock.

“How can this be? Did he break through to the Sacred Stage?” Sword Emperor sucked in a cold breath at the sight.

As they watched, they could feel bravery leaving them.

Not even seven Emperors together were a match against a Sacred stage expert.

Zhao Chen’s face grew paler as regret gnawing his heart. Who’d have thought just a month of practice would elevate Zhuo Yifan to such height in power.

“Humph, damn traitor, this is the end for you.” Sneered Zhuo Yifan.

Whoosh!

A light fell from the heavens above, piercing the black hands, and went straight for Zhuo Yifan. With no time to react, the light passed right through him.

Scarlet blood spurted from his mouth and the thousands of black hands vanished. Zhuo Yifan looked with his wan face at the sky to see a middle-aged man basked in a holy aura of light.

“Saint!” Zhuo Yifan bit his lips in defiance. He knew in his heart the newcomer’s intention.

“Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan, this Saint represents the Sacred Domain in retrieving the Demon Emperor’s legacy. If you hand it over, your life shall be spared.” The surroundings and people entered his eyes yet none of them were reflected within. He wouldn’t even deign to look at Zhuo Yifan, if not for having the Nine Serenities Secret Records.

This was the strongest Saint in the Sacred Domain. Even Emperor stage experts were mere ants before him.

With a miserable chuckle, Zhuo Yifan took out a dazzling multi-colored jade slip from his bosom.

The mere sight of it changed the expressions of everyone present, especially the Saint’s.

With a look of derision to all around him, Zhuo Yifan jeered, “What righteous cultivators, what Saint? Aren’t you all just thieves lusting a poor man’s wealth? I won’t let any of you get one word from the Nine Serenities Secret Records even if I have to destroy it.”

As if to prove his conviction, a powerful energy rose from his body.

“Damn! He’s gonna self-destruct.”

Sword Emperor’s eyes shrank speeding further away, with the others were not far behind. Only the Saint exploded in holy wrath and charged for Zhuo Yifan, “Stop!”

With a proud smile, Zhuo Yifan pinched and the jade slip was turned to dust right under the Saint’s eyes. The rage and bitterness he saw in the Saint as he gnashed his teeth elicited a burst of unrestrained laughter from Zhuo Yifan.

Boom!

His laughter was soon accompanied by powerful shock waves leveling the entire Devil Peak.

As the smoke and dust cleared the angry face of the Saint was soon visible, along with his shredded clothes.

“Even in the face of such a terrifying explosion, a Saint can come out of it without so much as a scratch.” The Sword Emperor came before the Saint to express his admiration.

The Saint snorted and was about to leave.

It was then Zhao Chen blocked him, “Please wait, Saint. Demonic Emperor Zhuo is cunning and deceitful. If he possesses someone, just from knowing the Nine Serenities Secret Records, he will one day come to exact vengeance upon us all.”

“Humph, his self-destruction was down to his soul. What possession?” He waved his sleeve and vanished.

The hearts of everyone present eased after hearing this.

With a Saint present, an Emperor stage expert would find it impossible to escape with their soul even if they self-destructed. It was a pity that the ancient Demon Emperor’s legacy, Nine Serenities Secret Records was lost.

As people gazed upon the ruins of Devil Peak, they each felt differently. Some were rejoicing, others lamenting, while most were feeling pity…

...Chapter 2, Demonic Emperor’s Rebirth...

In the dead of night, even the moon’s radiance was snuffed out by the black clouds.

Bodies laid in a pile in a quiet part of the forest, the aftermath of a gruesome battle. The air reeked of blood drawing all kinds of wild animals to feast on their flesh.

“Ugh…”

Among the countless chomping sounds of animals, from amongst the bodies, a young man let out a groan.

Ears twitched and the animals approached the source in silence.

Thump!

With a loud sound, two corpses were thrown to the side to reveal a bloodstained figure wrestling out from the pile. The animals jumped two steps back in fright, but when they noticed he was alive, they came back with a vengeance to rob life from him.

Yet, the youth hardly noticed the imminent danger, still sat there in a daze.

“Is this… the current me?” He checked his hands as his eyes glazed over. 

Awoo!

A wolf’s howl echoed as the beast sprung towards the youth.

He turned his head, his eyes shining with bloodthirst from his blood-stained face. The killing intent was akin to two swords stabbing into the wolf’s eyes. 

Whoosh!

The wolf grounded to a halt, shivering as it curled backward. The rest of the animals were also making a run for it when they watched those demonic pair of eyes.

Despite his weak appearance, the animals’ instinct screamed at them of the danger the youth posed.

As silence set in once again, the youth took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

His name was Zhuo Fan, fifteen years of age, a servant of the Luo clan at Cloud Manor. His life was happy and carefree, until three days ago when a band of Blackwind Mountain bandits butchered the manor. He along with some guards escorted the young master and young miss as they fled, only to find his end in this forest at the hand of their pursuers.

In his final breaths, he was filled with an obsession. It was this that drew the drifting Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan’s resentment and allowed the Demonic Emperor to possess him.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed with demonic glee.

“Ha-ha-ha, Sword Emperor, Zhao Chen, you would have never imagined the Nine Serenities Secret Records has a way of possessing someone without the need of a soul. Wait for me, I will soon return to Sacred Domain and behead you myself. “

Only Zhuo Fan’s mad laughter echoed in the bleak forest. Even the other animals chewing on corpses were startled into fleeing. 

Cough!

A sudden cough cut his raving laugher short as his eyes turned like a hawk towards the source.

“He-help me!”

Zhuo Fan rushed to it to see a Luo clan’s guard buried in bodies, with blood pouring from his mouth.

“Humph, the affairs of mortals have nothing to do with me.”

His eyes shrank and shook his head as he was about to leave. The previous Zhuo Fan would’ve done his best to help the man. But he was now replaced by the Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan. To Yifan, the Luo clan were nothing but ants to him.

Who was so bored as to save an ant’s life?

He took only two steps before stopping. Recalling something, he dropped down cross-legged to inspect his body.

Not a moment passed and Zhuo Fan flashed his eyes open with glee.

“This kid is 15 yet has never cultivated. His body is untainted.”

On the Martial Emperor Continent, most could cultivate. Even farmers would have a 1st or 2nd layer in the Foundation Establishment stage. It was rarer to find a fifteen years old who never cultivated once.

And the strongest cultivation method is the Nine Serenities Secret Records – Demon Transformation Art, which could use other’s cultivation and later allow one to swallow the Heavens and devour the Earth, reaching the highest realm of power in this world, needed a pure body to train in it.

This cultivation method was something the Nine Serenities Emperor comprehended only after he entered the Emperor stage. Just when he was contemplating destroying his cultivation and starting anew, he suffered at the hands of the other Emperor stage experts.

In ancient times, the Nine Serenities Emperor was amongst the top three strongest Emperors, for it to make even him consider restarting his cultivation, this cultivation method must be of tremendous might. Maybe it surpassed even a Heaven ranked cultivation method. 

As such, once Zhuo Yifan obtained it, he began to consider his next course of action. But before he could decide, the seven Emperors and Zhao Chen came and forced him on this path. 

With a pure body, the effect would be even more pronounced.

At this point, Zhuo Fan returned to the guard. He removed the corpses covering him and pulled him out of the rest.

Empty eyes watched as he got pulled from the brink of death. The guard smiled, “Ah, it’s you, Zhuo Fan. Thank you, I’ll repay you when we get back.”

“He-he-he, why wait when you can just as well do it now.” With a corner of his mouth perked up, Zhuo Fan exposed an odd smile.

The guard froze as a chill seized his heart.

As they were both from the Luo clan, this wasn’t the first time he saw Zhuo Fan. But this was his first time watching such a sinister expression. It was akin to how a wolf would set its sights on a rabbit.

“Zhuo Fan. what are you going to do?” The guard watched him vigilantly.

Zhuo Fan ignored him as he watched with the same smile, mumbling all the while, “Not bad, a 2nd layer of Qi Condensation cultivation. Solid foundation material.”

While other cultivation methods absorbed the spiritual energy around them to refine the host’s body, the Demon Transformation Art robbed others of their cultivation to further his own.

But how could a normal man steal from a cultivator? When the target was wounded of course, to the point he couldn’t even move.

This was the reason for Zhuo Yifan’s uncertainty to abolish his cultivation at the time. If such an encounter never happened, he would’ve been a mortal for the rest of his life. It would end in a complete loss, something he believed caused even the Nine Serenities Emperor to hesitate at that time.

Yet, here he was, with a newly possessed body that the heavens dropped on his lap. ‘Truly something only found by luck.’

Seeing the insidious Zhuo Fan watching him like a rogue watched a beauty, the guard’s heart never knew rest as he shouted, “Y-you’re not Zhuo Fan!”

“He-he-he, correct!”

The evil laughter further emphasized Zhuo Fan’s malevolent look, “I am the Sacred Domain’s Eighth Emperor, Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan!”

...Chapter 3, Demon Transformation Art...

The guard watched in horror as Zhuo Fan raised a palm over his head and began operating his cultivation method.

Black streams came from it, twisting like worms as they burrowed into the guard’s body. The moment they entered, the guard’s face changed.

His horrifying visage, twisted from pain, now darkened the pale face from the extreme blood loss. With each passing moment, the man inched closer to turning as black as charcoal. In the dark night, even if one didn’t pay attention, no one would claim him to be a human.

This perked Zhuo Fan up, riveting in excitement to the sight before him.

Demon Transformation Art might take other’s cultivation as his own, but when was it that easy to steal one’s Yuan Qi? Even if he did, it would probably reject him. He needed to show extreme caution, especially now when he was building his foundation.

Therefore, Zhuo Fan chose to first demonify it before absorbing it.

Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, his hand tightened and the black streams began to flow back from the guard into his body as the guard himself was withering in front of his ***** eye.

An hour later, Zhuo Fan took back his hand and sat cross-legged, beginning to refine the Yuan Qi.

The guard collapsed and scattered to ashes. It was as if an ancient corpse was unearthed only to scatter in the wind the moment they made contact.

Nine Serenities Emperor’s creation not only took other’s cultivation but also their essence.

The black energy roamed around his body like a flood. Zhuo Fan sank into concentration as he operated the cultivation method to make the energy flow through his meridians and widening little by little.

The entire power of a Qi Condensation expert flowed through his untrained body. The force was on the verge of bursting his meridians as his forehead broke out in a sweat.

But he pushed through because he knew this power could build a never before seen foundation. Such a stable foundation would guarantee an easier and smoother path of cultivation.

Time passed one second at a time for two hours straight as Zhuo Fan gnashed his teeth and sweat poured from him like a river…

He loosened his jaw only on the sixth hour, when the black energy, after roaming his body for hundreds of times, gathered in his Dantian and settled in the form of a black lake.

He slowly opened his eyes and released a long breath. The clouds in the horizon began to brighten, and the stuffed wild animals returned to the depths of the forest.

“It’s dawn? Ha-ha-ha, I didn’t expect for a 2nd layer Qi Condensation’s cultivation would require an entire night.”

Zhuo Fan shook his head and examined his body.

Bang!

A loud sound echoed and the rock crumbled under the Zhuo Fan’s frail punch.

Zhuo Fan nodded in satisfaction. The Qi Condensation expert’s cultivation refined his body and improved it greatly. Based on his body strength alone, he was no weaker than a Qi Condensation expert.

Next, he inspected his cultivation.

He was calm before, but that look scared the living daylight out of him.

As for his cultivation, not only did it reach the 5th layer of Foundation Establishment, the Yuan Qi inside him was that of Qi Condensation, and not of Foundation Establishment.

“Man, this Demon Transformation Art is fantastic.” Zhuo Fan couldn’t help smacking his lips, being secretly delighted.

Generally speaking, even those rare geniuses from the Sacred Domain needed a year to reach the 5th layer of Foundation Establishment. Yet, he needed one night to do what others had to work for two-three years to attain.

“It won’t be long before I return to the Sacred Domain. He-he-he…” Zhuo Fan snickered.

Just as he was indulging in his fantasy when he returned, shouts woke him up.

Frowning, he walked cautiously in their direction. He was clear on his limitations. Even if he had a 5th layer Foundation Establishment cultivation, this little achievement couldn’t deal with the simplest martial skill. He had no power to retaliate if he met an expert.

As such, being prudent took priority. After all, he wasn’t the all-powerful Demonic Emperor right now.

With steps as light as a cat, he neared a bush. Zhuo Fan pushed aside the leaves to see two parties in a stalemate.

One had more than a dozen men, Luo clan’s guards surrounding an eighteen-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy.

The other group wore black and was led by an old man, over twenty people. The man was familiar to Zhuo Fan. He recalled seeing him in the Luo clan as their steward. Then the pair surrounded by the guards had to be Luo clan’s young master, Luo Yunhai, and young miss, Luo Yunchang.

“Humph, no wonder the mountain bandits breached the tight security of the Luo clan guards, we had a traitor amongst us. “

Zhuo Fan sneered inside. He recalled his disciple and clenched his fists.

In his past life, he was betrayed by his disciples, and the one he possessed now died from a similar result. He couldn’t help relating a bit to the body he occupied.

But he soon shook his head and sighed, ready to turn around and leave.

With his strength, he had no way of helping them. Besides, nothing was tying him to the Luo clan. It just wasn’t worth throwing his life away for.

Yet, he only took two steps before his heart seized with pain. The third step never came.