The capital of Great Qin was in jubilant celebration, the entire city aglow with vibrant lights, its people spilling out of their homes and reveling in the streets.
Great Qin had secured a glorious victory, and countless hearts were filled with immense relief, a sense of unprecedented lightness pervading their beings.
After attending the victory banquet, Li Xiaotian returned to his secluded cultivation spot, unaware that a group of geniuses with similar strength to his own were making their way towards the capital.
Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. He felt invincible within his heart and feared no opponent.
"Senior, how is it?"
Li Xiaotian mentally called out to the Demon Lord, his curiosity piqued about the origin of the human skin drum.
"This little thing, in ancient times, somehow obtained fragments of the human skin drum and secretly refined it," the Demon Lord's voice replied, unhurried and devoid of any discernible emotion.
"Fortunately, the human skin drum he refined is incomplete. Otherwise, you would have been in quite a pickle today. Of course, with me present, even the genuine human skin drum wouldn't have harmed you."
"The human skin drum, Senior, this type of weapon seems to affect all humans. Was it refined by the demon race?" Li Xiaotian inquired. If the demon race possessed such an evil artifact, it would be a grave disadvantage for humanity in future wars against them.
"The demon race? Heh, what capability does the demon race have to refine such an evil artifact?" The Demon Lord's tone dripped with disdain as he continued.
"It was refined by a human scumbag. Hmph, he called himself the Evil Master. His nature was neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil, lacking any racial allegiance. In his eyes, both humans and demons were the same."
"In ancient times, people spoke of me with dread, referring to my demonic nature. In certain aspects, I was indeed similar to him; I killed both humans and demons, but the beings I killed were all deserving of death! They were my enemies."
"He, however, was different. He was inherently bloodthirsty, killing without regard for right or wrong, and prone to fits of rage, slaughtering entire cities or demon tribes on a whim."
"Like me, he was a genius. I pioneered the demonic path, while he was passionate about refining weapons. The weapons he forged, even ordinary ones, were more precious than any Heavenly-grade weapon."
"The human skin drum was created by him after he annihilated a city, using its inhabitants as materials. The sound of the drum was like the wails of countless vengeful spirits, capable of affecting even Heavenly-grade experts."
"To slaughter an entire city just to forge a weapon? And it could affect Heavenly-grade experts?" Li Xiaotian felt a flicker of horror. Such a person was akin to a madman. Regardless of his initial intentions or his passion for research, using an entire city's population to forge a weapon was an act of extreme cruelty.
"Later, the human powerhouses joined forces to kill him and erase all information about him, even destroying all the weapons he had forged."
"I thought all traces of him would remain buried forever. Unexpectedly, something from that era has resurfaced. It seems some of the human powerhouses who participated in the encirclement and killing were not entirely clean-handed." The Demon Lord mused with a sigh. He considered himself to have killed many beings, but compared to the Evil Master, he still fell far short.
Li Xiaotian secretly noted this incident. Although it was unlikely he would encounter such an evil artifact as the human skin drum again, it was still wise to be cautious.
Human and demon races harbored a deep-seated enmity. If the demon race were to gain the method to refine the human skin drum, it would spell utter disaster for humanity. At that time, the demons would show no mercy.
"It seems I must personally visit the Black Witch Cult's stronghold afterward and ensure everything is completely eradicated," Li Xiaotian murmured to himself.
"Senior, I have one more matter."
Seeing that the Demon Lord was about to fall into slumber again, Li Xiaotian quickly asked.
"What is it? You little fellow, you have so many questions. Spit it out quickly. I just devoured Wu Lie and need to absorb his energy immediately." The Demon Lord's tone carried a hint of impatience. After Li Xiaotian had beheaded Wu Lie, his vital essence and blood had not dissipated, so he had requested Wu Lie's corpse earlier. For the Demon Lord, as long as it helped him recover his strength, he cared not what he devoured.
"Senior, I wish to inquire about the Overlord realm, how to break through to Overlord? How to break through to Heavenly grade?" Li Xiaotian asked. While other realms had early, middle, and late stages, the Overlord realm only had one stage. It was merely a transitional period between the Emperor grade and Heavenly grade, and Li Xiaotian had no clue how to break through.
"Overlord? Heh, that's just a hypocritical term coined by the world. In essence, it is still the Emperor grade. Do you know what the biggest difference between the Heavenly grade and the Emperor grade is?" The Demon Lord spoke, his tone becoming somewhat serious. After all, Li Xiaotian was his only disciple. In ancient times, someone as monstrous as Li Xiaotian would have had a group of elders guiding his cultivation. Now, Li Xiaotian had fallen into his hands, which could be considered his misfortune. If Li Xiaotian hadn't brought it up himself, he wouldn't have thought of these things at all.
"Ultimately, Emperor-grade martial artists rely on the strength of their own bodies, with limited control over heaven and earth. But the Heavenly grade is different. Heavenly-grade experts have begun to control heaven and earth. With every action, they can influence certain rules within heaven and earth. Furthermore, some can even alter the appearance of the land, influence day and night, and command the winds and clouds."
"All of this is because Heavenly-grade martial artists have grasped a certain rule! The rule of the Dao, which can also be called laws, or the power of the Great Dao."
"Rules? The power of the Great Dao?" Li Xiaotian frowned, finding it somewhat incomprehensible.
"Let me put it this way: for instance, your Devouring Demonic Art. Have you ever noticed why it devours all things? What is devouring, really? Is it merely because the cultivation method is powerful? You must understand that after reaching the Heavenly grade, all cultivation methods are the same. The competition then shifts to the power of the rules you control, not the cultivation method itself."
"Initial contact with a certain rule signifies your entry into the Overlord grade. When you can utilize the power of this rule, that is when you will become Heavenly grade."
"Note that Overlords can only influence rules, while Heavenly-grade experts can utilize, and even control them."
"For example, that young Taoist priest you know, Dao Xuan, he is considered the strongest among the current Overlord-grade experts. He cultivates the rules of lightning and has already achieved initial control. When the heaven and earth fully revive, it will be the day he breaks through to the Heavenly grade."
"Senior Dao Xuan, young Taoist priest." Li Xiaotian's mouth twitched. Dao Xuan, as the leader of the Taoist sect, was at least tens of thousands of years old, yet in the Demon Lord's eyes, he was merely a 'young Taoist priest.' Simultaneously, Li Xiaotian was astonished that Senior Dao Xuan already possessed Heavenly-grade strength, making him the strongest in the present era. He had previously believed that Jian Chen of the Sword Sect was the most powerful.
"There is also that young girl from the Yue family. She controls the rules of the moon and has also reached the stage of utilizing the power of rules. However, at the same realm, her strength is somewhat weaker than that of the young Taoist priest. Do you know why?" The Demon Lord asked, his tone filled with patience. Some matters could not be explicitly stated; he could only guide Li Xiaotian, allowing him to think and explore on his own. Only in this way could Li Xiaotian touch upon a path suitable for himself.
Li Xiaotian frowned. Both Granny Yue'e and Senior Dao Xuan could utilize the power of rules in combat. However, according to the Demon Lord's tone, Granny Yue'e was significantly weaker. What was the reason for this? The rules of lightning, the rules of the moon. Logically, Granny Yue'e, as a descendant of the Unrivaled, possessed one of the most supreme inheritances in this world. In the same tier, few could contend with a descendant of the Unrivaled.