After setting up everything and confirming it was correct, Ol'ksa closed his eyes and let go of his mind.
He began his second advancement.
His blood and power automatically seeped out from his body, forming threads that tightly wrapped around him.
Soon after, a blood-red giant cocoon, several meters high, appeared in the cave.
A layer of blood mist flowed out from it, permeating the cave, then gradually condensed into something similar to blood vessels, weaving a huge web centered around the giant cocoon, filling every inch of the cave.
Due to Ol'ksa's request, he had to remain conscious and not fall into a state of unconsciousness. So, even now, he was awake. Although he couldn't move, all his senses were still active, and he could interrupt this advancement process at any time.
At this moment, although he dared not move for fear of disrupting the advancement, he could still clearly feel his skin and exoskeleton dissolving, his flesh boiling, and the bones in his back slowly reordering themselves.
His entire body felt as if it were immersed in concentrated sulfuric acid, and even his soul seemed to be tearing apart. They all had to be completely reorganized, replaced with a more perfect and powerful state. Only then could Ol'ksa always stay ahead of demons of the same rank.
Melting tendons, dissolving skin, shifting bones, tearing the soul—these were the pains Ol'ksa was experiencing now.
This was also the second time he had experienced them.
He had already experienced it once when advancing from Juvenile Demon to Lesser Demon, which had caused him to almost pass out from the pain, as he had not been mentally prepared for it at the time. Before that, he hadn't realized how painful conscious advancement was. Afterwards, he somewhat understood why demons automatically entered a comatose state during advancement.
The word "somewhat" was used because Ol'ksa's advancement was not solely guided by the Bottomless Abyss and his own bloodline; the Evolution System was also involved, making it a three-way negotiation, different from other demons' advancements.
However, these details were not important. In Ol'ksa's view, as long as he could achieve his goals, no matter how painful, he could accept it.
This was also why he still chose to advance while conscious.
He needed to maintain his self-awareness at all times!
Even this intense pain, in his opinion, was a form of training.
During his advancement to Lesser Demon, the indescribable torment almost drove him to collapse several times.
But in the end, it also taught him a truth: only by experiencing pain, tasting pain, and understanding pain can one inflict it upon other beings.
So he began to meticulously experience the suffering he endured, learning to savor it, and finally understand it. Perhaps this was also the main reason why his Mana Attribute automatically derived Pain and automatically awakened Bloodline Spell: Painful Strike.
Perhaps one day he could fully comprehend Pain, a primary rule that could rival Fear, Hatred, Wrath, Envy, Pride, Greed, Lust, Sloth, and Gluttony among negative rules.
Several nights later, when the blood-red glowing celestial body outside rose again,
The blood-colored network in the cave, resembling blood vessels, began to contract and wither at an extremely fast pace.
Whoosh!
Crack!
Two massive wings, nearly 3.4 meters long and with a wingspan of almost 7 meters, instantly burst through the giant cocoon's outer shell.
With a gentle flap, the entire cave was engulfed in a fiery whirlwind, completely incinerating everything within it.
When all traces were obliterated, Ol'ksa's greatly transformed appearance was revealed from the heart of the flames.
His missing body parts had regrown and undergone new changes.
He stood three meters tall, with perfectly proportioned physique, countless intricate crimson patterns appearing all over his body.
His horns curved backward, becoming thicker and longer. His tail reached 2.8 meters and became capable of extending and retracting to a certain extent. The wings on his back resembled a hybrid of bat and dragon wings, covered in slender scales and tipped with sharp barbs.
[Host: Stuart, Ogarlisa, Asalon... Corif, Ol'ksa]
[Race/Rank: Demon / Lesser Demon]
[Strength: 61 (5)][Speed: 63 (5)][Constitution: 61 (5)][Mana: 65 (5)][Soul: 70 (5)]
Talents:
Soul Feast Evolution (evolves autonomously by continuously devouring souls)
Carnage Growth (evolves autonomously through continuous combat and slaughter)
Combat Instinct (innately possesses extremely strong combat talent)
Flesh Absorption (can absorb flesh from targets upon contact and extract essence)
Mana Attribute – Corrosion. Pain (possesses corrosive properties compared to ordinary mana, and can inflict extreme pain upon targets)
Elemental Talent – Bloodflame (possesses properties of high temperature, flesh erosion, burning life energy and soul)
Exoskeleton – Bloodthirst (transformed from its own scales, possesses extremely high physical hardness and a certain degree of energy resistance, and can automatically repair damage by absorbing fresh blood and consuming mana)
Energy Vision (vision can penetrate most substances and see through energy)
Abyssal Contract (possesses the ability to accept summons autonomously, and can use Abyssal power as a medium to sign pacts with other beings. Note: No one can violate the pact, not even a Demon Prince)
Disguise – Silence (can greatly reduce his aura and presence)
Agonizing Torment (any injury inflicted will have its pain greatly amplified)
Soul Plunder (forcibly binds and pulls target souls within a certain range)
Armored Runes – Crimson (crimson Abyssal runes cover his entire body and form an array, greatly increasing various energy resistances, and improving adaptability to world suppression)
Trans-dimensional Projection – Simulacrum (can project his image from a long distance; this image has sensory functions and is shared in real-time with the user)
Skills:
Fireball (Bloodline Spell. 27%)
Flame Arrow (Bloodline Spell. 28%)
Life Drain (Bloodline Spell. 25%)
Soul Shock (Bloodline Spell. 30%)
Painful Howl (Bloodline Spell. 14%)
Fire Nova (Bloodline Spell. 14%)
Evolution Points: 0
Note: Values in parentheses for body and soul represent the normal level for a newborn young demon. Each point increase improves current strength by one-fifth. Percentages in the skill bar represent proficiency; reaching 100% advances the skill to a higher level.
The talent Agonizing Torment evolved from the bloodline spell Painful Strike, representing Ol'ksa's comprehension of Pain.
The talents Soul Plunder, Painful Howl, and Fire Nova were abilities that automatically awakened as his strength progressed.
Only Armored Runes – Crimson and Trans-dimensional Projection – Simulacrum were specifically developed by the Evolution System. Without them, Ol'ksa would have no confidence venturing into other worlds.
Having gained the most basic assurance for planar ventures, he did not rush into traveling. Instead, he first adapted to his current strength.
He stretched his body, then fired a Flame Arrow at the cave obstruction, violently blasting it open.
The arrow, previously about one meter long, now stretched to 1.8 meters. In human hands, it could even serve as a spear.
Although the System panel only increased by a fraction, Ol'ksa's overall strength had grown several times, and some past combat techniques might no longer be practical.
Stepping out, he surveyed the monsters and demons occasionally flying in the sky. A few flaps of his wings created strong gusts, and he quickly adjusted to the sensation of flight.
Though initially unaccustomed to having an extra organ, the wings could fully retract into his body, maintaining balance and flexibility.
Propelling himself into the sky, Ol'ksa felt the creature's yearning for the vast open skies.
At that moment, his innate demon talent seemed to awaken—flight was now as natural to him as walking on two feet.