Rise of the Alchemy God

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He, basking in the immense power that coursed through his entire being, finally extended his senses to observe how the world had changed in his absence.

He was certain the barrier imprisoning his race on this fragment of land was likely still there, but he believed that with his newfound strength, he could finally break it.

He wanted to see the state of his race, and as his spiritual sense expanded beyond the rift's space, he immediately perceived several figures at the peak of the Mortal realm.

He recognized all of them. Upon seeing that they were still alive and that some had even become stronger, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

"It seems that they have not been idle in my absence," he thought.

But his happiness was short-lived. Not long after, he sensed nearly all of them being eliminated by an individual who displayed no trace of demonic Qi.

Upon perceiving this, his rage surged.

He was prepared to intervene and personally deal with this being, but what he saw next left him shaken.

"Him… it can't be."

Initially, he hadn't sensed the full power of this figure, but it didn't take long for him to gauge his cultivation level.

The realization sent him into shock.

Another being had reached the spiritual realm, just like him.

He had believed that once he ascended, it would only be a matter of time before his race could conquer this plane.

Yet, he hadn't expected to encounter another being at his level, and not just one.

He sensed the presence of yet another individual in the spiritual realm approaching this location, shocking him further.

Since when had beings of the spiritual realm become so common, he wondered.

But his surprise didn't end there.

He then observed his subordinates, who had just been eliminated, unable to reconstitute themselves using demonic Qi.

Instead, they had been captured and absorbed by this being.

This was the final blow, not of rage, but of fear.

If there was one thing demons were confident in, it was their inability to truly die.

As manifestations of demonic Qi, they could reemerge from it after death, with small traces of consciousness allowing them to return over time.

For this reason, killing them was nearly impossible, a trait that had caused significant trouble for the beings of the celestial plane.

Yet here he was, witnessing a being devouring his race as if it were nothing, erasing their existence entirely.

He could tell that the being had grown stronger by absorbing his kind, and this realization terrified him.

He struggled to believe what he had just witnessed.

He had thought that with his newfound strength, nothing could threaten him.

Yet, not only had he encountered two other beings at his level, but one of them was capable of completely eradicating his kind.

'I must ascend immediately,' he thought, realizing he could no longer remain in this plane.

All his plans for conquest had gone up in smoke. He knew that to survive, he needed to ascend and regroup elsewhere.

'I must contact them as soon as possible,' he thought, disappearing from his position and reappearing dozens of miles away in the sky. His body began to glow with a black light.

"I can sense it," he murmured.

But just as he focused to deepen his perception, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Now, I really want to know if running away is a trait of your race, "

***

Ethan, having successfully killed the eight demons and absorbed their demonic energy, immediately felt his strength increase significantly.

DING!

[You have gained +1431 STR]

[You have gained +1350 AGI]

[You have gained +875 INT]

[You have gained +589 Soul Strength]

His stats had increased by at least 10%, with some even improving by 20%.

Seeing this boost in power, Ethan grew increasingly certain that hunting demons was the best way to rapidly grow stronger.

The sheer amount of Soul Strength he was gaining from killing them was far from insignificant.

He checked his Demonic Physique and was finally pleased to see that it, too, had improved by a considerable margin.

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[------------------------------

[Demonic Physique]

Grade: Minor (27%)

Description: The physique of a low-grade pure demon.

This physique increases the Host's affinity with negative spiritual energy, allowing the Host to absorb and process it within their dantian, thereby forming a Demonic Core.

Forming a Demonic Core enables the primary physique to digest demonic Qi more efficiently and allows the Minor Demonic Physique to evolve.

Note: Switching from your current physique to the Demonic Physique will alter your appearance accordingly.

All beings using positive spiritual energy will perceive you as an enemy, while those using negative energy will view you as one of their own.

-----------------------------]

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Ethan had honestly expected to surpass 50% easily with all the demons he had just absorbed, but reality seemed less generous than he had anticipated.

He wasn't sure why it took so much to improve the percentage of his Demonic Physique.

After all, it was a physique similar to that of the demons he had just killed, which would make him a low-grade pure demon in their eyes.

Yet, even after absorbing nine of them, he couldn't make significant progress in this regard.

In the end, he could only shake his head, thinking that it was still better than nothing.

After all, the Demonic Physique wasn't currently of much use to him, so he didn't feel irritated about it.

That said, he turned his attention to the demon who had remained on the sidelines the entire time.

Seeing that the other party hadn't made a move throughout, he couldn't help but ask:

"I can sense you're clearly stronger than all the others I just killed, yet you haven't made a single move this whole time.

Is this your way of throwing in the towel before even trying to fight?"

Ethan could guess what the demon might be thinking, but he wanted to hear it directly.

The demon, having just sensed his lord fully awaken, spoke with a joyful voice.

"Of course, I know I can't fight someone of your level, so it's pointless for me to make a move.

After all, even if I had joined the attack, it wouldn't have changed anything, right?" he said.

But Ethan didn't respond, calmly staring at him.

"Don't worry about me; you should worry about our ancestor instead," the demon continued.

Though his expression couldn't be seen, as he lacked a face, Ethan was certain he would be smirking or something similar if he could.

Seeing how confident the other party was, Ethan finally smiled, pointed in a seemingly random direction, and said:

"Oh, really?

Then why is your so-called ancestor currently fleeing in that direction?"