Chapter 49:Devil’s Ascent:Baptism of Blood and Bamboo

The night Lucifer stepped into the bamboo forest...

was the night the world made a mistake.

Not reborn.

Not chosen.

Forged.

His dantian—once nothing more than shattered ruin—now pulsed like a violent star on the verge of collapse.

Energy didn't flow.

It raged.

Fire came first.

Not warmth. Not light.

But abyssal flame—dark, consuming—like it existed to erase existence itself.

Then lightning answered.

Crimson.

Not the color of storms—

But of blood.

The two forces coiled around him, clashing, devouring, merging—until destruction and speed became one seamless instinct.

Lucifer exhaled slowly.

"...Now this feels right."

Anyone watching would've stepped back.

Not out of caution.

Out of instinct.

Because what stood there... wasn't human anymore.

It was hunger given form.

"Don't you fear death?"

Chirin's voice cut through the silence—unusually cautious.

Lucifer didn't stop walking.

"Death fears me."

A pause.

"...Why do you ask?"

"Because," Chirin replied, "you're charging forward like you've got nothing to lose. Your dantian just recovered. You should stabilize."

Lucifer's crimson eyes flickered.

"My enemies won't wait for me to stabilize."

Another step.

"So why should I wait for them?"

The forest answered.

Monsters emerged.

They died.

Again.

And again.

And again.

No wasted movement. No hesitation.

Fire devoured.

Lightning hunted.

The blade ended everything in between.

Hours passed like seconds.

The deeper he walked, the thicker the energy became—

And the more violent the forest grew.

Yet Lucifer...

Only grew sharper.

Stronger.

More precise.

"At this rate..." Chirin muttered, "...half the forest will be gone before we reach the core."

Lucifer smirked faintly.

"If I had my old weapons, this would've been finished already."

"Blame your precious system," Chirin shot back. "It stripped you of everything."

A brief silence.

"...Except me."

Lucifer glanced at the blade.

"That's because you're not just a weapon."

His voice lowered.

"You're part of me."

For once—

Chirin said nothing.

Then—

They arrived.

The Bamboo Grove Core.

Ancient stalks towered like silent judges.

Inside them flowed liquid energy so dense it shimmered—Bamboo Elixir.

Power condensed into drinkable form.

A single stalk could rewrite a cultivator's fate.

Lucifer stepped forward—

Thwip.

A dart struck him.

Poison spread instantly.

His body locked.

He collapsed.

Silence.

Then—

A presence.

Small. Twisted. Watching.

The Goblin King stepped out from the shadows—its eyes sharp, calculating.

It didn't rush.

It observed.

Predator to prey.

And when it was certain—

It raised its blade.

Lucifer smiled.

"Gotcha... hehehe."

His hand snapped upward—

Grabbing the creature's leg.

Before it could react—

Slash.

Chirin carved through its throat.

Blood spilled.

The king collapsed.

Dead.

"...You're insane," Chirin muttered.

Lucifer sat up, pulling the dart from his body like it was nothing.

"I'm calculated."

Hua's warning echoed in his mind—

The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes...

But there had been no guards.

No resistance.

Which meant—

The guardian was hiding.

So Lucifer gave it what it wanted.

A corpse.

SYSTEM PROMPT:

Goblin King slain.

Title acquired: Goblin Slayer

Effect: +20% effectiveness against goblin-type enemies

Karma points awarded.

Lucifer grinned.

"Reward on top of reward."

He cut open the thickest bamboo.

Drank.

And power exploded inside him.

Combined with Sin of Gluttony, the energy surged violently through his restored dantian.

Realm: Qi Gathering — 8th Stage

"...Now we're getting somewhere."

Then—

He turned to Chirin.

"Drink."

"...What?"

"All of it."

"...Are you out of your mind?"

Lucifer's grin widened.

"I have limits. You don't."

Before Chirin could protest—

Lucifer forced the blade into the flow of elixir.

Energy flooded into it endlessly.

Chirin trembled.

"...You're a beast."

Lucifer laughed.

"Nah."

"I'm the Devil."

By dawn—

He returned.

Not exhausted.

Not wounded.

Profitable.

The Demonic Cult's Welfare Hall buzzed as usual—

Until he walked in.

Lucifer didn't browse.

Didn't hesitate.

He took every goblin-related mission—

And completed them on the spot.

Corpses.

Weapons.

Proof.

Stack after stack.

Silence spread.

Eyes followed.

Whispers ignited.

"Wasn't his dantian broken?"

"How is he... stronger?"

"He did all this... alone?"

Not all gazes admired him.

Some burned.

Others calculated.

Lucifer didn't care.

Coins filled his pouch.

"Let them watch."

"They'll understand soon enough."

Back in his cave—

Reality returned.

Stone.

Cold.

Empty.

Lucifer dropped onto the slab.

"Home sweet home."

Chirin scoffed. "This is worse than hell."

Lucifer stared upward.

"Because we're weak."

His voice was calm.

"In this world—strength decides everything."

"Food. Shelter. Respect."

"A perfect system..."

"...built on cruelty."

For once—

He didn't joke.

CRACK.

The door burst open.

Lucifer didn't move.

"...What is wrong with people today?"

A step.

Then—

He vanished.

Impact.

A body flew.

Bones shattered mid-air.

Lucifer stood.

Eyes cold.

"If you won't let me sleep..."

Flames ignited.

"...then I'll make sure you never wake up again."

Elsewhere—

The outer elders barely reacted.

"Another fight? Let it happen."

"This is the Demonic Cult."

"Chaos is natural."

Then—

A disciple burst in.

Panicked.

"Elders—something's wrong!"

"1 vs 10—!"

They waved him off.

"Then someone's getting beaten."

The disciple swallowed.

"...It's the one."

A pause.

"He's the one beating the ten."

Silence.

An elder rushed over—

And froze.

Nine bodies.

Broken.

Dantians destroyed.

Limbs twisted.

Alive—

But wishing they weren't.

And one man—

Still moving.

Still breaking.

Still smiling.

The last disciple screamed.

"Please—just kill me—!"

Lucifer grabbed his throat.

Eyes empty.

"Death is mercy."

"You don't deserve it."

Crack.

"STOP—!"

The elder's voice thundered.

Lucifer turned slowly.

A smile formed.

Cold.

Absolute.

"It's not that name anymore."

Fire rose.

Lightning screamed.

"It's Lucifer Morningstar now."

A pause.

Then—

The truth settled like a curse.

"The Devil."