「Meanwhile, by the pool.」

After resting for a moment, Aaron Sinclair sat up and began meditating to restore his energy.

The young Aaron Sinclair had no idea that his parents were out searching for him.

As he meditated, he discovered the Demonic Qi here was incredibly dense.

Aaron Sinclair’s eyes lit up.

"What a lucky break."

Aaron Sinclair’s hands moved, weaving a seal to absorb the energy. Instantly, the surrounding tempestuous Demonic Qi surged straight into his body.

Yet, this frenzied power caused him no discomfort. In fact, he found it quite pleasant.

Aaron Sinclair possessed an Immortal Demon Body, meaning he could cultivate two opposing systems of techniques simultaneously.

It was always said that the immortal and demonic paths could not coexist, and that wasn’t just an empty platitude.

In terms of practice, Cultivation and Devil Cultivation are two fundamentally opposing systems. The former harnesses Spiritual Energy, the positive energy born of heaven and earth. The latter, Devil Cultivation, utilizes Demonic Qi, a negative energy antithetical to Spiritual Energy. This includes things like the foundational qi of the Demon Realm, various dark-attribute negative energies, the Ancient True Demon Aura, and energy converted through Demon Techniques.

These negative energies possess properties like corroding Magic Treasures and distorting space, which is why Demon Cultivators are so often branded as evil.

In truth, anything that abides by the laws of the world has a reason to exist. In this world, where there is white, there is black. Where there is Spiritual Energy, there must also be Demonic Qi. It is a symbiotic relationship.

Aaron Sinclair meditated for three full days.

When he opened his eyes, a flicker of flame danced in their depths.

He glanced into the distance. A black, avian beast flew past his line of sight, and the instant his gaze fell upon it, the creature was incinerated into ash.

Aaron Sinclair extended his hand, and a crimson-black flame ignited in his palm. The same fire then wreathed his entire body.

Suppressing his aura, Aaron Sinclair gave a slight smile.

’My Cultivation has improved a lot,’ he thought. ’More importantly, my Karmic Fire is stronger. Is it because I absorbed the foundational Demonic Qi of this place?’

At this thought, Aaron Sinclair raised a finger, and a ball of fire bloomed at its tip.

The fire’s color was still the same crimson-black, with no apparent change. Yet, he could clearly feel an intensely cold energy surging within the flames. They were far more powerful.

He couldn’t quite figure it out. He had clearly acquired his Karmic Fire through Cultivation, yet the source of this fire felt like something innate, something he had always possessed.

"Whatever."

"I’ll ask Dad next time. He’ll definitely know."

’Or maybe it’s because I have a mutated Ice Spirit Root.’

He looked down at his clothes. They were filthy, draped with seaweed and stained with moss. And he was a boy who liked to be clean.

"Good thing no one saw me like this," he muttered. "How could I ever show my face again?"

He snapped his fingers.

He cast a Cleaning Technique on himself.

In an instant, he was spotless.

’These clothes are a top-tier Defense Treasure,’ he mused. ’Otherwise, I would’ve definitely been hurt when that damned fish was chasing me in the water.’

’My Cultivation is still too low. To think I was getting pushed around by a mere fish.’

Aaron Sinclair took a moment to size up his surroundings. He was standing before the same pool he had emerged from three days prior.

Looking around, he realized he was in a vast mountain range, one with a canopy so dense it blotted out the sun. The roars of Demonic Beasts echoed in the distance.

Since he was already here, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He decided to explore and figure out where he was.

His figure flickered as he zipped through the mountains, killing any Demonic Beast he encountered. Whenever he found a Spiritual Medicine, he’d scoop it up, soil and all.

He weaved through the winding paths.

Eventually, he came upon a set of abandoned ruins. A variety of buildings came into view, all constructed on sheer cliffs. They were dilapidated, yet he could see traces of their former glory.

’But something about this place feels... off.’

The area before him was filled with a dark miasma.

No, it was a poisonous gas, so toxic it appeared black and green. The place was not only protected by an Array but was also completely shrouded in the gas. Looking up, a gloomy haze blotted out any trace of sunlight.

"How could there be such a dense toxic gas? The entire area is contaminated."

He started forward to investigate, but his foot stepped on something.

He looked down.

He gasped and quickly backed away.

He had just stepped on a human skull.

As he looked around, he saw skeletons scattered everywhere.

’So... many bones.’

"Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you."

"No offense intended."

’Judging by these remains, the people here have been dead a very long time,’ he observed. ’The blackened state of the skeletons must be related to the toxic gas.’

He flew between the cliffs, hoping to find some treasures to loot.

Just then, Aaron Sinclair sensed movement nearby. The next moment, a bat with blood-red eyes came pouncing at him, SCREECHING shrilly.

He thrust out his hand. With a flash of Karmic Fire, the bat was incinerated with a piteous shriek. Then he noticed them—countless red dots in the darkness, all staring straight at him.

A glance revealed a dense swarm. Amidst a cacophony of shrieks, the bats charged.

Aaron Sinclair unleashed his Karmic Fire, blasting the swarm. Amidst a chorus of piercing screams, countless bats rained down, burned to cinders.

"SCREECH~"

"SCREECH~"

He burned one wave, only for another to take its place. He’d really stirred the hornet’s nest this time.

The bats were basin-sized, with blood-red eyes and a vicious demeanor. They must have been corrupted by the toxic gas.

After dealing with the red-eyed bats, he continued on his way. He saw many poisonous flowers and plants, various toxic insects, and even Demonic Beasts that had been corrupted by the gas. As for himself, he was completely unfazed by the poison.

Aaron Sinclair had grown up among The Demonic Sects and was well-versed in both alchemy and the art of refining poison.

Back in the Bloodfiend Den, he always had to hold back so he wouldn’t endanger others. But looking at this place, completely shrouded in toxic gas, he put a hand on his hip and grinned.

"Now this is a perfect place."

’Best of all, there are so many poisonous things here to catch and study.’

「And so, it began.」

Aaron Sinclair slew Demonic Beasts.

He collected poisonous plants.

And then came the alchemy...

BOOM—

BOOM—

From deep within the mountains, the shrieks of Demonic Beasts and the boom of exploding cauldrons echoed every so often.

Red rain began to fall from the sky. He watched as it completely corroded the dilapidated ruins.

Aaron Sinclair scratched his head as he climbed out of the rubble.

"I’m fine! I can keep going."

Meanwhile, the local Demonic Beasts, already corrupted by the area’s toxic gas, now trembled in terror at the sound of the explosions.

’It’s happening again.’

’When is that new human kid going to leave? Save us! Please! Don’t our lives matter? First, we were tormented by the toxic gas, and now we’re being tormented by him!’

As a result of his activities, and his repeated cauldron explosions, the toxic gas that shrouded the area miraculously vanished.

In a way, he had actually done a good deed.

By the time Celeste Grant found her son, the red rain had turned to black rain.

She stared at the scene, stunned by the falling black rain.

’Did my son do this?’

But Javier Sinclair, who was by her side, just chuckled. "See? I told you not to worry about the little brat’s safety."

’Look at him, wreaking havoc wherever he goes! He’s clearly been having the time of his life.’