I am becoming the ultimate demon.

Chapter 15: Returning to Xiong'an, Managing the Territory; The Path of the Heavenly Demon Offic

After returning to Xiong'an County, Ji Lin told Ji Chang'an and the county magistrate about the trial.

The two were shocked to hear this. They had thought it was just a test of strength, but they didn't expect the mortality rate to be over 90%. It was a miracle that Ji Lin was able to come back alive.

"Lin'er, I'm happy that you passed the Demon Suppression Division's trial, but the most important thing is seeing you return safely." Ji Chang'an's feelings were complicated.

"Yes, Young Master Ji, it's better not to take the Demon Suppression Envoy position. We must have a few more drinks today," the magistrate chimed in.

At the dinner table, Ji Lin began to explain in detail his future plans.

Based in Xiong'an County, we will build an extraordinary city.

The city of the unusual is one that primarily cultivates awakened beings, with martial artists playing a secondary role.

Awakened beings have a distinct advantage: unlike martial artists who value innate talent, comprehension, and innate ability, they can steadily level up as long as they have enough abnormal energy.

Secondly, Awakened Ones possess a wide variety of skills with numerous functions, including the ability to sense anomalies, giving them a significant advantage when dealing with them.

Cultivating awakened individuals is a necessity for the development of an abnormal era and is also in line with the basic conditions of an abnormal era.

Of course, if there are exceptionally talented martial artists who can join the Night Patrol, their training value should not be overlooked.

"Lin'er, I've always supported the plan to establish a night patrol, but isn't creating an abnormal city a bit too extreme?"

The magistrate remained silent, lost in thought.

Ji Chang'an and the county magistrate hesitated. Although the plan was good, they still found it hard to accept that everyone would be turned into something neither human nor ghost.

Ji Lin had always been in charge of the night patrols, and neither of them had explicitly objected, so they could only let him do as he pleased and see how things went.

But Ji Lin knew in his heart that he had to do this in order to complete the Path of the Heavenly Demon.

After lunch, he immediately returned to his room and began to integrate the ten unusual substances he had brought back from the ruins of the previous dynasty.

As soon as he had a thought, the system began to display prompts:

[The system has begun fusing anomalous substances...]

[System Function Unlocked: The third fusion slot is now available, allowing you to equip three different anomalous substances simultaneously]

[The host has been granted a unique skill with growth potential. Please practice it independently...]

Ji Lin was overjoyed. The third skill had finally been unlocked, and there was another skill he could freely develop and enhance later.

This is absolutely incredible! My charming senior colleague has given me such a wonderful gift!

"System, begin the drill."

[Switching the scene for the host...]

Ji Lin's consciousness immediately entered a void space. As long as he silently recited in his mind, various scenes and abilities would appear before his eyes.

[The countdown is down to half an hour. Please make the most of your time and begin your practice...]

His initial thought was how to deal with dozens or even hundreds or thousands of anomalies.

The first approach was to draw inspiration from elemental attacks like those of Liu Qingmei, such as water, fire, and ice, which have no fixed form. However, it was soon discovered that these types of attacks were somewhat inadequate as area-of-effect skills.

The disadvantages are obvious: first, the energy is dispersed, resulting in insufficient attack power; second, the energy is consumed too quickly.

The second scenario is how to survive when faced with a powerful anomaly. This reminded him of the scenes he encountered with Dugu Jian Gui and the Sand Beast, and the terrifying situation was still vivid in his mind, leaving him with lingering fear.

Shadow clones and protective shields are ineffective in preventing attacks, and skills based on laws such as time and space, as well as conceptual skills, are currently beyond our comprehension.

[Countdown: 15 minutes left...]

Ji Lin began to feel anxious, unsure of what to do.

He took a deep breath, readjusted his mindset, and calmed himself down to think things through.

Then a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: [The physical body is indestructible; it can be reborn from a drop of blood].

A broken heart or a severed head can be reborn; even a drop of blood or a wisp of soul can reshape the body...

[Congratulations, host, on your successful deduction]

[Gain exclusive skill: Life Reshaping]

[Restriction: Can only be used once per day]

[Cost: Each use deducts 20 points from Constitution. If Constitution is below 20, the skill is ineffective.]

As expected, this skill can temporarily save my life, and it gives me another trump card when facing advanced abnormalities in the future.

However, there are too many restrictions, so we still need to be careful. It's okay if we encounter some strange creatures without intelligence, but if we encounter demons, they might sense something.

He then placed the calamity mark into the third fusion slot.

He opened the panel to check:

【Season Arrival】

[Outliers: 0]

【Strength: 35/50】

Agility: 50/50

[Constitution: 35/50]

[Spirit: 35/50]

[Skills: Demonic Appearance - Shadow Strike, Calamity - Blood Locust, Calamity - Water Illusion]

[Exclusive: Life Reshaping]

[Talent: Heavenly Demonic Pressure]

The order of stat allocation becomes clearer: prioritize Agility and Constitution to improve survivability when facing abnormal situations.

Just then, a notification came from outside, and he turned off the information panel.

"Young Master Ji, Bai Zhan, the leader of the Hongshan Army in Hongshan County, and Wang Bo, the heir of the Wang family, have come to pay their respects."

"Okay, have them wait in the living room, I'll be there shortly."

Ji Lin went to the living room to meet the two.

The two were quite surprised to see that Ji Lin was physically strong and had an imposing presence, even stronger than some martial artists who had practiced martial arts for decades.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two revealed their true purpose in seeking out Ji Lin.

"Young Master Ji, recently bandits have been rampant and strange phenomena have been occurring frequently. We have come to seek cooperation and hope that we can look out for each other in the future," Bai Zhan said respectfully.

"Young Master Ji, please accept my condolences regarding your sister's passing. I, Wang, also feel deeply saddened and regretful. Although the marriage alliance has been put on hold, I still hope that our two families will maintain a friendly relationship and have frequent exchanges in the future." Wang Bo was also very polite.

The two continued to remind Ji Lin to be wary of surrounding forces, such as rebel armies and powerful clans.

Due to recent rumors that he is a demon, and that he has recruited some abnormal individuals, they have begun to be hostile to Xiong'an County. He should pay close attention to their movements.

"Chief Bai, Young Master Wang, I am willing to stand with you both and help you. Thank you for your reminder, I will keep it in mind."

All three understood that showing goodwill did not equate to genuine cooperation, and mutual support was also difficult to achieve. In these extraordinary times, it was already good enough to be able to protect oneself, but at least a neutral relationship of non-aggression could be maintained.

Just three days after their warning, a coalition of forces from several counties came to attack Xiong'an County, and it could be vaguely sensed that many awakened individuals were also involved.

Ostensibly, it was to eliminate demons, but in reality, it was to divide up resources and seize cities.

With the resources and strength he had recently accumulated, Ji Lin temporarily repelled them, and his reputation soared.

However, knowing that these things would only increase in the future, he publicly declared:

I do not seek to become king, but only to pave a path for humankind to survive in this chaotic world, even if it means becoming a celestial demon.

……

Ji Lin stood on the city wall, with his followers gradually becoming inhuman behind him, and the rolling dark mist and abnormal tides before him.

System prompt:

[Path to the Demon King Progress: 1%]

Ji Lin muttered to himself: It's still far from enough... Only by becoming the ultimate Heavenly Demon can this era be ended.