Chapter 717: The Limits of Life

The incident Shien Buztout caused in the Imperial Capital was no small matter. The capital was half-destroyed, the Imperial Palace completely ruined, and the Empire’s political landscape drastically changed. The Emperor went mad and was deposed, and the Imperial Consort was exposed as a villain plotting to use the Empire for nefarious purposes. This major event caused a sensation in the Human Realm and even attracted attention in the Divine and Demon Realms.

Moreover, Shien slew Mara, who had achieved a transcendent state using a treasure left by the Supreme God, thus exposing his secret as the Hero. This was a truly earth-shattering event.

The Hero, reappeared after a thousand years, had only been in Omnipotence for half a year and was already capable of slaying a transcendent being. This news, once spread, would cause unrest in the three realms.

Countless people witnessed this, including those involved in the coup, and many in the Imperial Capital, intentionally or not, observed the incident. It would be strange if Shien’s identity remained hidden.

Initially, because the topic of the Hero was already a hot issue, the fact that Shien could slay Mara, who had achieved Transcendence using a hidden treasure, was somewhat overlooked.

However, while ordinary people might overlook it, the major powers wouldn’t. Knowing Shien was the Hero, they would definitely investigate the entire incident and uncover all information about him since his arrival. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to learn about the events in the Imperial Capital and know that Shien had slain a transcendent being.

Especially the Original Demon, an Old Demon Faction. They couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

Mara was cooperating with the Original Demon, and even if her plan wasn’t known to them, they would still be monitoring her, even observing the events of that day. Moreover, Mara herself was suspicious. Even after being slain by Shien, the Branch of Rejuvenation she awakened was missing, and her possession of the [Symbiosis] skill was also strange.

Shien had reason to believe there was another mastermind behind Mara.

This mastermind was the one connected to Mara through [Symbiosis].

Shien had a guess about this mastermind’s identity. After all, there was someone who was mysteriously attacked, rescued by Lasha and Lilith, then inexplicably fell into a coma for several days before disappearing, and that person also had a connection with Mara.

If this missing mastermind was also connected to the Original Demon, then they couldn’t possibly be unaware that Shien had slain Mara, a transcendent being. Knowing this, how could they still see Shien as just a Legendary Hero, not much of a threat?

“There must be something I don’t know,” Shien was certain.

As he thought this, Shafney, in his arms, looked at him intently and suddenly said,

“Regarding the incident in the Imperial Capital, under big sister’s instructions, we’ve temporarily blocked some information.”

These words stunned Shien.

“You know what I’m thinking?” he asked, surprised.

“A little,” Shafney said with a smirk, “My [Ripple Heart Demon] is a Unique Skill that connects my mind to others. The closer the relationship, the stronger the connection. Therefore, with our current relationship, it’s not surprising that I can sense your thoughts.”

So, he had met another woman who could read minds.

As Shien was speechless, Shafney looked at him with amusement, then her expression turned serious.

“Her name was Mara, right?” she said, “The moment she achieved Transcendence, her magic power reached the Demon Realm and the Divine Realm, alerting us.”

Both the Three Goddesses and the Six Demon Lords had been gathering information about the coup in the Imperial Capital and gradually learned the truth.

“I have to say, that so-called Greater Spirit of Death does have some tricks, actually managing to achieve a form of Transcendence. We were all surprised.”

“But don’t worry, Transcendence achieved through such methods is ultimately limited and conditional, just like you and that guy.”

This unexpected information caught Shien’s attention.

“It’s really just limited and conditional Transcendence?” he asked.

“Of course,” Shafney nodded without hesitation, curling her lip, “Do you think the ‘Logic’ established by Omnis is just for show? That the limits of life can be broken so easily?”

Those were the limits set by the world’s truth itself, limiting life to level one hundred, insurmountable and unbreakable.

“The reason Omnis set this limit was to give life a structure, allowing them to exist.”

Initially, there was no life in this world, only Omnis and Claudis, the Demon King, born from nothingness. No other life was allowed to exist.

“Two beings like the Demon King and the Supreme God are already the limit. A third is impossible.”

Therefore, Omnis imposed limitations on the concept of life, fixing them within a structure, a framework, greatly reducing the difficulty of creating life.

Since a third being like them couldn’t be born, then lowering the requirements and allowing lesser beings to exist was the solution.

Thus, life had limits, and the concepts of levels and skills were written into the world’s logic along with the structure and framework, making the creation and birth of life possible.

This was also why Demon Lords, although theoretically capable of reaching the Demon King’s level, were destined to never reach it.

This was the world’s limit, only able to accommodate one Supreme God and one Demon King. Exceeding this limit would likely cause the universe to explode, overloading everything and causing a collapse.

Therefore, throughout history, only the Three Goddesses and the Six Demon Lords had transcended the limits of life.

Even Lilith and Artemis, the Goddesses of Evil and Justice, had problems at their birth.

Lilith was affected by her own power of chaos, her rationality suppressed, only returning in this generation after thousands of years of struggle.

Artemis also had her own problems, just not known to the public.

Even the Goddesses of Time were split into a trinity, unable to transcend individually.

As for the Three Goddesses and the Six Demon Lords, they were naturally transcendent, the former born directly from Omnis, the latter from the Demon King’s magic power. Protected by the power of these two transcendent beings, they achieved Transcendence.

In other words…

“The limits of life are insurmountable,” Shafney said seriously.

“Throughout history, only Heroes, summoned from another world and not completely bound by this world’s logic, could surpass these limits.”

The concept of “Hero” was on par with the Demon King and the Supreme God.

The three restrained and relied on each other, making Heroes special.

“Heroes are not bound by the limits of life and can transcend without any side effects.”

“For other beings, transcending is not only wishful thinking, but even if they succeed, there will be various problems, or it will be incomplete.”

Lilith, Artemis, and the Three Goddesses of Time were examples of “various problems.”

And that Half-Demon and the Greater Spirit of Death were examples of “incomplete” transcendence.

Therefore, Shafney could say with certainty,

“That so-called Greater Spirit of Death not only has limited Transcendent Level power, but will also instantly revert to her original form once she loses the Branch of Rejuvenation.”

“Not just her, even that guy, after completing the Seventh Demon Lord Creation Plan and perfecting his Demon Lord body, might experience some unpredictable side effects.”

“That’s why he wants to devour existing Demon Lords and obtain a complete Demon Lord body.”

“If it were one of us, also nurtured as a Demon Lord, he could completely replace us and gain a perfect Demon Lord body without any side effects.”

Shafney explained all of this.

Shien understood.

“Then why did you block the information?” he asked.

“Why else?” Shafney said, annoyed, “Of course, it’s to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated, my dear Hero.”

The exposure of Shien’s identity had already caused chaos and unrest in the Demon Race. The God Race and the Human Race were also affected, the millennia-long peace destabilized.

If it were also revealed that the Hero possessed Transcendent Level power, the Demon Race’s reaction would be even stronger, and even the God Race and the Human Race might have unnecessary delusions.

After all, some might think that with a Transcendent Level Hero, they could truly challenge the Demon Race. Even if they didn’t restart the war, they could use this to gain more advantages.

Moreover, some within the Human Race might want to exploit this power.

Considering these factors, Sara decided to temporarily conceal this information, working with the Three Goddesses and her sisters.

“Therefore, while you were in the Demon Realm, the God Race sent people to the Human Realm, either negotiating with the new Emperor of the Empire to block the news, or sealing, blurring, or even erasing the memories and impressions of some related individuals.”

Shafney revealed this secret to Shien.

“Because of this, you are only seen as a Legendary-level Hero, and most people even think that you’ve only been in Omnipotence for half a year, your level not yet reaching Legendary, only possessing Legendary-level combat power due to the Holy Sword’s enhancement and your powerful Unique Skill.”

This greatly obscured Shien’s true strength, and few, besides those with ulterior motives, noticed this.

Even the fact that Shien defeated Aldia was already concealed by the Kingdom.

If not for his actions in the Imperial Capital, where he was already confirmed to have Legendary-level combat power, people might even think he wasn’t even at that level.

“Holy moly,” Shien couldn’t help but exclaim, realizing how tightly controlled his information was.

“Then what about the Original Demon?” he asked, “Were their memories also affected?”

“This…” Shafney frowned, then shook her head after a while, “Perhaps it’s their internal problem, or perhaps it’s a problem with that Greater Spirit of Death who obtained the Branch of Rejuvenation. Perhaps they’re not on good terms.”

This wasn’t impossible. Otherwise, why was Parion the only one who came today? Even if Parion failed, there should have been others watching from the shadows, not just that Half-Demon. If the Half-Demon and the Greater Spirit of Death joined forces, even with their incomplete Transcendence, they could have directly challenged Shafney. If Shafney was also cursed at that time, their chances of winning would be one hundred percent.

But the Greater Spirit of Death didn’t participate, only the Half-Demon, their leader, appeared personally.

This suggested internal problems within the Original Demon.

In that case, it wasn’t surprising that the Greater Spirit of Death didn’t reveal the information about Shien being able to slay Mara.

Anyway, it was fortunate that they escaped this disaster. Otherwise, even with Shien present, they might have fallen into a trap, with both him and Shafney being harmed by the two incomplete transcendent beings.

“Should I thank the Supreme God for my luck then?” Shien shrugged.

“Why thank the Supreme God? If anything, you should thank the Demon King!” Shafney strongly opposed this.

This girl probably didn’t know that he had the Supreme God’s blessing, and even the world itself was on his side, bringing him good luck.

“Let’s find a way to dispel your curse first,” Shien said, returning to the main topic.

“Alright,” Shafney agreed.

Within a cave in the forest at the border of the Moon Demon Territory.

Shien stood at the entrance of the cave, seemingly keeping watch, but his gaze frequently drifted inside, his lips twitching slightly.

Inside, Shafney sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed, the fluctuating curse on her body being dispelled by a dense, holy light.

The holy light emanated from phantoms surrounding her. These phantoms, dressed in priestly robes, some old, some young, some male, some female, all looked at Shafney with adoration, casting high-level Restoration Magic to dispel the curse.

This scene both shocked and impressed Shien.

Shafney’s Unique Skill, [Ripple Heart Demon], could connect her with others through their mental impressions and connections, its strength determined by the depth of their feelings for her. The more captivated and devoted they were, the less they could resist her, even becoming her “possessions,” both physically and mentally.

For example, those simply infatuated with her would only have their senses controlled, allowing Shafney to see and hear what they did.

But the deeper the infatuation, the deeper the connection, allowing Shafney to take even more from them.

In the end, she could even transform into them, use their abilities, and even see their memories and thoughts.

This was the terror of [Ripple Heart Demon]. The more one loved and was captivated by Shafney, the fewer secrets they had, the less they could resist her, their everything being exploited and their value completely drained.

This ability, if obtained by someone ugly, would be useless.

Fortunately, it was possessed by the most beautiful witch in the three realms, an enchanting demoness who captivated countless kings and heroes.

This created the terrifying power of [Ripple Heart Demon] and the fearsome reputation of the Succubus.

Shien was already alarmed when he learned about this, but he still underestimated its power.

“To be able to recreate those connected to her as phantoms, with their full strength and abilities, this [Ripple Heart Demon] is too terrifying.”

Shien didn’t even know how to describe his feelings. Among the priest phantoms using Restoration Magic to dispel the curse on Shafney, he even saw a kind-looking, Legendary-level Pope. If he wasn’t mistaken, that person should be Yuler.

This made Shien feel incredibly frustrated.

“You old pervert, secretly in love with the Succubus, even to the point of being summoned as a phantom, do you have no shame before the goddess you serve?”

Shien’s inner monologue was unstoppable.

But then, he felt a pang of fear.

“Could I also be recreated as a phantom and become her puppet?”

Although he wasn’t captivated by her, his relationship with Shafney was undoubtedly closer than anyone else’s. With [Ripple Heart Demon]’s deeper connection and stronger impression leading to greater control and access to abilities, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn’t be turned into a phantom.

“I…” Shien was starting to panic.

Just then, an annoyed voice reached his ears.

“Don’t worry, this recreation has its limits. It can’t recreate a person’s Unique Skill, let alone their Special Skills, and definitely not the Hero’s Holy Sword.”

As the voice spoke, the phantoms surrounding Shafney disappeared, and she opened her eyes.

“…You read my mind again?” Shien asked, looking at her, exasperated.

“Who told you to stand there looking so lost?” Shafney narrowed her eyes.

“Seeing your ability, anyone would be lost,” Shien retorted.

“Coincidentally, my sisters also say that often,” Shafney chuckled, “However, although this ability is powerful, its side effects are also quite obvious.”

Her suggestive words reminded Shien of something. Parion, the Sun Apostle, had mentioned that this ability to connect minds was mutual.

Therefore, Shafney could exploit those captivated by her, but if she was captivated by someone, even if they didn’t have the same ability, they could still control her mind.

That’s why she disdained everyone, to prevent any weaknesses from forming in her heart, any deep impressions that would make her unable to resist their requests.

[Ripple Heart Demon], this ability to manipulate others through mental connections, was a double-edged sword.

“I’m very aware of how terrifying my ability is, even capable of destroying me, so I have a ranking in my heart, giving scores to others. The higher the score, the more important, and also the more dangerous, they are to me,” Shafney said softly.

This made Shien curious.

“Then what’s my score in your heart?” he asked, looking at her.

Shafney didn’t answer, only smiling meaningfully.

“Fine,” Shien curled his lip, “One day, I’ll also try reading your mind.”

Then it wouldn’t be just him revealing his thoughts.

Of course, Shafney’s mind-reading ability wasn’t perfect yet, only able to occasionally glimpse some of his superficial thoughts.

Otherwise, he would have no secrets before her.

(If one day I’m completely captivated by her, then she’ll probably be able to read all my thoughts, even my deepest memories, right?) Shien suddenly felt grateful for resisting her temptation.

Thinking of this, he quickly focused his mind, clearing all distracting thoughts.

Shafney seemed to notice his actions.

“What? Afraid of me knowing your little secrets?” she asked with a smirk, “Then remember to stay away from me and don’t have any improper thoughts about me, okay?”

Hearing this, Shien raised an eyebrow.

“Me, having improper thoughts about you?” he asked, looking directly at Shafney, “It seems a certain Succubus has quite a few improper thoughts about me, doesn’t she?”

“Me? About you?” Shafney’s eyes widened.

“Isn’t it true?” Shien asked, imitating her smile, “If not, then why didn’t you resist that night?”

“I…” Shafney opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“Don’t tell me you couldn’t resist because of the side effect of [Ripple Heart Demon],” Shien said, blocking her excuse, “You said it yourself, this side effect also affects the mind. Since you couldn’t resist, it means my score in your heart isn’t low, you have feelings for me, you desire my body, you’re vile.”

Shafney was almost angered to death.

How could it be the same?

It was just ninety-eight points, one point lower than her little Airi. Did he really think this score meant he could do whatever he wanted to her?

This was just her scoring, not [Ripple Heart Demon]’s.

[Ripple Heart Demon] looked at mental weaknesses and impressions to determine the strength of the connection.

And this guy, how intense were those few times? Didn’t he know?

She was almost crippled, almost tormented to death by him. How could that not leave the deepest impression?

And he said she desired his body?

It was clearly him who forced himself on her every time!

Shafney’s body trembled, and she raised her hand, wanting to punch him.

But at this moment, a wave of magic power swept past, making both Shien and Shafney freeze.

“This is…?” Shien’s eyes flickered, and he closed his eyes, releasing his perception.

Shafney did the same.

Soon, they both sensed subtle magic power fluctuations appearing around them, even within the forest, moving around cautiously, clearly doing something shady.

“Is it the Original Demon’s people?” Shien murmured.

“Probably,” Shafney sneered, “It seems that guy isn’t willing to give up yet.”

Clearly, these people were sent by the Half-Demon to search for them.

“There’s a Legendary-level expert leading them, the rest are just Higher Demons between level seventy and eighty,” Shien said, looking at Shafney, “Should I go and take care of them?”

“No,” Shafney shook her head after a moment of thought, “That guy is likely hiding nearby using his Unique Skill. If you act, he’ll notice immediately.”

If that happened, they would be pursued by him.

“I don’t mind. If I use my full strength, I don’t believe I can’t deal with an incomplete transcendent being,” Shien frowned, “If you can also help, then he’s just seeking death.”

“Me?” Shafney smiled wryly, “Unfortunately, the curse on me hasn’t been completely dispelled yet. Centuries of accumulation can’t be removed so easily. If I fight, there’s a high chance the curse will erupt.”

In other words, if a fight broke out, Shien would not only have to fight their pursuer, but also protect Shafney.

This would put them at a disadvantage.

“So we’re not fighting?” Shien asked, a little disappointed.

“No,” Shafney said, amused, “Don’t worry, I’ll settle the score with him sooner or later.”

Shien nodded noncommittally.