At Mount Lu's summit, Sect Leader Luo Hao stood by the waterfall in resplendent palace robes, hands clasped behind her back as she gazed at the exquisite full moon overhead.
This self-proclaimed extraordinary sect leader rarely showed worry.
The leader who always loved competing and contending with others would absolutely never allow herself to be inferior.
But now, she suddenly felt that despite all her methods and schemes, there seemed to be something she simply couldn't accomplish.
As a martial artist, Luo Hao never believed that martial arts had limits. Even though she claimed to have reached the pinnacle of martial prowess, she knew this was the limit for mortals. Taking one step further would break the shackles of mortality and ascend to the divine realm.
Yet this step was like an insurmountable chasm, as difficult as scaling the heavens. If she could truly cross it, Luo Hao believed that even without relying on authorities, her martial arts alone would be enough to slay gods.
But in the end, she never took that step. Even during her first godslaying, while her martial arts and sorcery played a role, it was largely due to a stroke of fortune that she succeeded.
After becoming a Campione, with her profound understanding of power, it didn't take long for her to master the abilities of a godslayer. At the same time, she realized that even Campiones had their limits.
Luo Hao was a prodigy—how could she allow herself to be confined by the identity of a Campione and its limitations? Though she was stubborn, demonic in nature, and a typical demonic sect leader, she was also a seeker of the Dao. She cared little for material luxury; all she needed was a solitary hut to seclude herself in Mount Lu, continuing her climb toward the peak of a Campione and striving to surpass it.
Yet after two hundred years of effort, Luo Hao found no possibility of transcending the limits of a Campione. The boundary remained unbroken. Though she had studied countless methods and even invented powerful sorcery that could instantly replenish her energy and saturate her magical power, these were merely technical improvements. In truth, her power had not undergone any fundamental transformation in two centuries.
Moreover, after scouring the archives of the Five Great Sects, Luo Hao knew that no Campione in history had ever surpassed that limit and achieved a qualitative evolution. This even led her to believe that perhaps this was simply the nature of Campiones—no matter how hard one tried, change was impossible.
If all Campiones in the world were like her, the sect leader would not have felt any competitive drive. But Roy's appearance shattered her beliefs entirely. When she fought alongside Roy against the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the sheer magnitude of Roy's magical power—far surpassing that of a Campione—and his ability to fight evenly with, even surpass, the Great Sage who had activated the "Covenant of the Great Ritual," made Luo Hao realize that this junior, who had been a Campione for less than two years, had accomplished the feat she had dreamed of for two centuries.
At that moment, no one could fathom the shock and complexity in Luo Hao's heart. Even she, who had never bowed to anyone in her life, felt a faint sense of admiration.
Now, meeting Roy again at Mount Lu, Luo Hao could sense that his power had grown stronger once more. It wasn't a quantitative increase from gaining new authorities—he had truly completed a ritual she did not understand, undergoing yet another qualitative transformation.
This time, even the sect leader couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked him directly. Roy, holding nothing back, confirmed that he had achieved a miracle no Campione had ever accomplished before.
"But he said he didn't know how to transcribe this ritual into a grimoire. Could it be that he covets my body? But from what I've observed, he is not such a base individual, nor one to feign courtesy."
The sect leader's ethereal voice murmured softly, her tone devoid of much anger. In Luo Hao's view, the mystery of this ritual was nearly on par with the Pandora's Circle of Usurpation that created Campiones. Naturally, obtaining it would require an equivalent price.
The self-righteous sect leader was actually quite pleased with Roy's proposal. That he valued her body as equal payment showed, in her eyes, that Roy possessed discerning judgment—recognizing her virginity as a treasure comparable to the Pandora's Circle of Usurpation.
Yet no matter how arrogantly Luo Hao carried herself as the Demonic Sect leader, she remained a woman raised in feudal traditions. Roy's probing suggestion still sparked indignation and instinctive resistance.
"Very well," she mused. "I, Luo Hao, am no self-pitying Lin Daiyu. If you desire it, sister shall join you in dual cultivation. The Daoist principles of yin and yang are the Great Path itself—perhaps I've been too obstinate. But should I grovel for your pity, wouldn't that earn your contempt? I shall study further. If clarity still eludes me, I'll humbly seek your guidance to explore the Great Dao together!"
As enlightenment dawned, her bewitchingly beautiful features relaxed into a relieved smile.
She knew two centuries of seclusion in this bamboo hut hadn't yielded answers, nor would a few days now. Yet her pride demanded she exhaust all efforts before seeking help.
Her openness stemmed from recognizing Roy wasn't truly lustful—his interest wasn't mere carnal desire.
Previously indifferent to worldly affairs (she hadn't even known the new Campione's identity), Luo Hao had recently grown curious about Roy, even ordering subordinates to investigate—an unprecedented move that shook the Holy Cult Five Mountains.
From these reports, she learned Roy pursued wisdom and knowledge—his personal Dao. Though differing from her martial path, both roads led to the same destination. Her extensive Daoist arts were surely treasures Roy sought.
Gradual study paled against sudden enlightenment. As Demonic Sect leader, Luo Hao disdained conventional progress. With mutual willingness and complementary needs, why shouldn't they unite in yin-yang harmony?
Energized by this realization, she flicked her flowing sleeves and floated moon-goddess-like into the wooden hut. She'd research a while longer—if still unsuccessful, she'd seek her worthy brother for their celestial union.
Such was Luo Hao. Such was the Demonic Sect leader. To scale greater heights, what mattered the means? What cared she for others' opinions?
To hear the Dao in morning and die at dusk—no regret!
...
Unaware of Luo Hao's thoughts, Roy now stood in a tranquil courtyard.
This was the Netherworld. Following coordinates provided by Luo Hao after their night-long discussion, Roy had crossed the material plane at dawn using daoist arts, arriving bodily in this realm.
Lush flowers thrived in the modest garden centered around a Japanese-style cottage. Sharing wine and chess with friends here would surely prove delightful.
But Roy had not come here to play chess or drink wine—he had come to kill!
"That old turtle sure runs fast."
Roy had changed out of his Confucian scholar's robes and donned his crimson cardinal's cassock once more. This was the true representation of the Christianity, his battle attire.
Trampling over flowers and grass as he stepped forward, Roy could no longer sense Susanoo's presence, though he knew someone had been here not long ago—now they had fled.
Yet Roy felt no anger. Hearing elegant, lingering footsteps approaching from behind, he slowly turned around.
Behind Roy stood a beautiful princess dressed in a twelve-layered kimono, gazing at him with a complex expression.
She was a stunning maiden with glass-like, translucent eyes.
***
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