She Is Someone Important to Me

"That's more like it."

Su Luo casually tossed out a secret technique.

Lei Shi opened it and read: "The Great Heartless Demon Art?"

Abandon all emotions and desires to cultivate peerless demonic power.

No castration required, of course.

"This will drastically boost your cultivation, but the downside is... you’ll probably never love again."

Though the power was tempting, Lei Shi hesitated.

Finally, his eyes hardened with resolve. "I no longer believe in love anyway."

With that, he began practicing without hesitation.

Su Luo nodded in satisfaction. Perfect—just as the plot demanded. One down.

Lei Shi was already burning with impatience to grow stronger and exact his revenge.

True to its name, the Great Heartless Demon Art transformed Lei Shi in just a single day.

He even broke through to the Hollow Void realm.

Don’t underestimate Hollow Void—corruption amplifies power tenfold.

From here, he’d grow exponentially, eventually becoming one of the New Heavenly Demon Sect’s core fighters.

When Lei Shi opened his eyes again, they gleamed with icy detachment.

Only one thing burned within him now: vengeance.

Su Luo said, "I won’t accompany you. Can you handle it alone?"

"Naturally."

Lei Shi left.

Su Luo waited.

Before long, Lei Shi returned, tossing the severed heads of Wu Feng and Fang Xiaoqian onto the ground.

"From now on," he declared, "I am your subordinate."

"That’s more like it."

Just then, Little Yu arrived.

She’d only meant to stroll around, yet somehow stumbled upon Su Luo again.

"Su Luo, finished with your business?"

"More or less."

Though the exchange was brief, Lei Shi sensed something off.

Why did their tone sound so... intimate?

Su Luo turned to Lei Shi. "We’ll take our leave. Find a place to settle—I’ll contact you later with plans."

Then he walked off with Little Yu, their hands entwined.

Lei Shi gaped. "Wait—who is she?"

"Oh, her?" Su Luo smiled. "Someone irreplaceable. The one I love."

Huh?! Lei Shi’s mind short-circuited.

"But... didn’t you say love is meaningless? Weren’t we building a grand cause together?"

What the hell is this?!

You’re betraying the mission!

"That was your path, not mine. Don’t overthink it."

"No, no, no! I practiced the Great Heartless Demon Art! I feel scammed!"

"You wanted power—I provided. You could’ve refused. It’s not too late to quit; you’ve only just begun."

Su Luo’s tone was indifferent.

At worst, he’d find a replacement.

After a tense pause, Lei Shi gritted his teeth. "Fine. I’ll continue. But I hope your promise—to make the world fear us—wasn’t a lie."

Love was dead to him anyway. Better to focus on strength and purpose.

"Of course it’s not a lie. When the time comes, the Heavenly Demon Sect will descend upon this world once more."

With that, Su Luo and Little Yu departed.

They wandered the city, but Little Yu’s adorable demeanor kept attracting trouble.

Before Su Luo could react, she’d already dealt with the pests—lethal strikes, no mercy.

In this City of Villains, Little Yu out-villained them all.

"Su Luo, why do I sense... fear in you?"

"I’m afraid my sweet Little Yu might turn into a real monster."

"Nonsense. I know where to draw the line."

"Fair enough. Come, let’s explore."

They played around the city, though its "attractions" were just scams—fake treasures, pickpockets, outright robbery.

Nothing worth seeing.

Su Luo sent Little Yu back; he still had one last recruit to meet.

Feng Chengkai.

The man sought Su Luo out first.

"Rumor says you’ve inherited the Demon God’s legacy."

"Correct."

Feng Chengkai attacked without warning, only to be schooled by Su Luo’s Void Hand technique.

After a brief skirmish, Feng Chengkai relented. Su Luo had passed his test.

"Interested in a partnership?"

"Go on," Su Luo feigned ignorance.

"Do you know why Huang Jiuyou established this City of Villains?" Feng Chengkai countered with a question.

"No. Is there deeper meaning?"

Feng Chengkai explained.

From the start, he’d been curious—what did Huang Jiuyou gain from creating this den of scum?

The chaos benefited others, but the city lord himself seemed untouched by the profit.

There had to be a hidden scheme.

So Feng Chengkai stayed, investigating Huang Jiuyou’s movements.

And he uncovered the truth.

Huang Jiuyou was stockpiling Demon Essence.

Beneath the city lay a massive altar, silently siphoning it from every cultivator.

Demon Essence—the condensed core of demonic cultivation, distinct from ordinary demonic energy.

Normally, practitioners never notice it; their demonic aura masks its presence.

But in this city, every wound became a leak.

The altar absorbed trace amounts of Demon Essence through injuries—too faint to detect.

This altar was Huang Jiuyou's treasure for breaking through to the Mahayana stage.

The accumulated demonic essence, bit by bit, was the key force behind his breakthrough.

From the very beginning, Huang Jiuyou had established the City of Villains for his own sake.

"So then, what will you do?" Su Luo said.

"Of course, take it for myself."

"You really are ambitious."

"That's just how it is—either die or succeed," Feng Chengkai said with a crazed tone.

"Fine. With that kind of resolve, I'll join you."

"Then it's settled. When the time is right, I'll come for you."

Su Luo nodded, watching him leave.

The altar wasn’t yet full, but it was close.

Truthfully, Feng Chengkai didn’t necessarily have to seek out Su Luo—there were plenty of potential allies here.

But Su Luo was the most promising, especially with that trump card of inheriting the Demon God’s legacy.

In the story’s progression, Su Luo, Feng Chengkai, and Lei Shi would join forces to kill Huang Jiuyou,

stealing the fruits of his years of labor.

Then, they would rapidly ascend in power.

But the sheer magnitude of what Huang Jiuyou had prepared over the years was too much for Su Luo and Feng Chengkai alone to handle.

If the energy was too overwhelming, it could tear them apart.

That’s where Lei Shi came in.

With three of them, it was just enough.

So the trio grew stronger here,

preparing for the future—the Demon Sect.

The next day, a major event unfolded in the City of Villains.

Huang Jiuyou initiated a battle game involving the entire city.

The last one standing would be the victor,

with rich rewards awaiting the winner.

Of course, a city-wide battle didn’t mean indiscriminate slaughter—those who didn’t want to participate could simply play dead.

If anyone went on a killing spree, Huang Jiuyou himself would intervene.

Even harvesting crops required moderation.

The purpose of today’s game was to accelerate progress.

The altar was nearly full—after today, it would be complete.

Then, he could finally ascend to the Mahayana stage.

The mere thought of it thrilled him.