Cultivation Reaches the First Tier

Su Luo closed her diary.

[Diary completed. Reward: Constitution +1, Strength +4, cultivation advanced by one tier. Current cultivation: Great Ascension Stage (Early Phase).]

Su Luo shut her eyes tightly, quietly savoring the surging power within her body.

Back then, relying solely on her natural talent, progress had been agonizingly slow—tedious and drawn-out, especially in the later stages. She had tried secluded cultivation for decades, even centuries, and it had brought her no joy whatsoever.

If she had turned to demonic methods, the suffering would have been endless, often leaving her neither human nor ghost.

But now? All it took was writing a diary, and she had achieved this—and in a fraction of the time.

This incomparable feeling… it was pure bliss.

How long had it been since she last reached the Great Ascension Stage?

Finally, she had joined the ranks of the first-tier powerhouses.

Well, she allowed herself only a brief moment of joy before quickly calming down.

In the past, though it had taken far longer, she had once climbed to even greater heights. Compared to that, the Great Ascension Stage was nothing special. There was still work to be done.

This time, her goal was naturally to unite the demonic factions… and send them to their doom.

Ah, no—it was to fight for the resurgence of the Heavenly Demon Sect!

As for how to unite them? In the original plot, Su Luo had gone to great lengths.

Though the Left Envoy had granted her authority, he hadn’t provided any manpower. Su Luo had to rely on borrowed prestige, scheming tirelessly to propose alliances with various sects.

The Heavenly Demon Sect wasn’t as formidable as it once was, but its top-tier experts were still intact.

A comeback wasn’t just a dream—other demonic factions wouldn’t dare provoke them.

Honestly, most of her success back then had been due to the lingering prestige of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

But now? Sorry, times had changed.

This time, Su Luo would bulldoze her way through.

"We, the Heavenly Demon Sect, have already humbled ourselves to propose an alliance. How dare you refuse?"

"Though I can offer you nothing, at least my sincerity is undeniable."

"You reject us? Then why aren’t you fighting the righteous factions? Are you colluding with them? Plotting to betray the demonic path?"

With any flimsy excuse, she tailored her response based on their answers.

If they agreed—wonderful, everyone was happy.

If they refused? Too bad. She’d slaughter them on the spot and move to the next person until someone in the sect said yes.

Naturally, many demonic factions rejected Su Luo’s approach.

What right did a mere titled Heavenly Demon have to act so arrogantly? If it were the Demon Monarchs, maybe.

Some demonic sect leaders were quite powerful—stronger than Su Luo’s current displayed strength at the Nascent Soul Perfection Stage. A few renowned demonic sects even had Void Refinement experts.

Though their numbers paled in comparison to the Heavenly Demon Sect’s absurd roster—just one or two at most.

Still, in the end, they all joined the "warm, united family" of the demonic alliance.

Because Su Luo was… merciful. Those who refused died instantly, spared any pain.

......

When the Right Envoy learned of Su Luo’s methods from the Earthly Fiend Sect, he was utterly speechless.

This was the person the Left Envoy favored? No finesse, just brute force.

If she offended every demonic faction, not only would the righteous sects target the Heavenly Demon Sect, but even their fellow demons would turn against them.

The Heavenly Demon Sect was no longer what it once was—did Su Luo have no self-awareness?

And what use was a demonic alliance forged like this? These factions weren’t part of the Heavenly Demon Sect; they felt no loyalty to it.

Without incentives, they wouldn’t even lift a finger, let alone risk their lives.

The Right Envoy wanted to report this to the Left Envoy, but the man was nowhere to be found. Infuriating.

"What are you trying to imitate the former Demon Sovereign for? She hid because she was weak—what’s your excuse?"

The Heavenly Demon Sect was doomed.

Fuming, the Right Envoy even considered returning to manage his Earthly Fiend Sect instead.

A thought struck him—why not?

The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. The Heavenly Demon Sect was already in decline. If he could poach some of its members, the Earthly Fiend Sect could rise further.

True, the current era was harsh for demonic factions. Without the Heavenly Demon Sect drawing attention, survival would be harder, and becoming the leading target would be fatal.

But crisis also meant opportunity.

Must the Earthly Fiend Sect forever remain second among demonic sects?

Opportunities like this were rare. If the Left Envoy truly revived the Heavenly Demon Sect, would the Earthly Fiend Sect ever get another chance?

The Left Envoy had already taken a step toward becoming the Demon Sovereign—how could the Right Envoy remain subordinate forever?

His expression darkened. Finally, he lifted his head, ambition blazing in his eyes.

"I, too, will become a Demon Sovereign—not of the Heavenly Demon Sect, but of the Earthly Fiend Sect."

The title of "Demon Sovereign" wasn’t given lightly. Only the leader of the foremost demonic sect could claim it.

For now, the Right Envoy was merely the Earthly Fiend Sect’s leader.

With his goal set, it was time to act.

First step: the Demon Monarchs. They were immensely powerful.

Securing even one would be a victory. Two would be a windfall. Three? That would gut the Heavenly Demon Sect, instantly elevating the Earthly Fiend Sect to the top.

Of course, that was mostly fantasy. Even now, the Right Envoy wasn’t confident. He had no idea how loyal the Demon Monarchs were to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Until the very end, their motives would remain inscrutable—crafty old foxes, all of them.

Second step: identify which figures were worth recruiting from the Heavenly Demon Sect and begin laying the groundwork.

The rest would depend on circumstances—like what plans the Left Envoy would deploy to revive the Heavenly Demon Sect.

......

Time flew. Su Luo swiftly assembled a coalition of demonic factions—remarkably efficient.

Not all demonic sects were included, of course. Many were in remote regions, and there was no time to gather them all.

The Earthly Fiend Sect was notably absent. Its experts were stronger, and while Su Luo could handle them, revealing her full strength would be unwise.

Drawing the Right Envoy’s attention would be troublesome. If she accidentally killed him, there’d be no one to replace him.

Wait… Jiang Ningshu might be available…

No, best not entertain such dangerous thoughts. Jiang Ningshu had her own role to play.

Su Luo surveyed the allied sects behind her. Their members regarded her with reverence, standing at perfect attention.

Good. Very spirited!

In truth, they were even more pathetic than in the original plot.

Because Su Luo hadn’t bothered with persuasion or reasoning.

Those who resisted had been branded as righteous sympathizers and given honorable burials.

And with her overwhelming power, the survivors had no will to rebel—at least, not for now.

That was enough. They were all just experience points for Lin Xuan anyway.

With the demonic alliance settled, all that remained was to wait for Lin Xuan.

......

News traveled fast among the righteous factions. Word of the demonic alliance spread, putting everyone on high alert.

A united demonic front was exceptionally rare—they usually fought independently, seldom cooperating.

Distrust ran deep. Demonic factions had no honor; betrayal was always a risk.

If it benefited them, selling out their allies to the righteous factions was perfectly normal.

Thus, mutual suspicion made alliances nearly impossible.

Yet now, multiple demonic sects had united under one banner.

Even more alarming was the message from their leader, Su Luo: this alliance was formed to retaliate against the righteous path.

For now, the allied sects remained quiet, but weaker factions trembled at the thought of being targeted.