Chapter 239 - Hidden Shadows
The doors of the Demonic Shadow Royal Clan castle opened up and a figure calmly walked inside, moving at a slow and tranquil pace.
If one were to see him from afar, they would certainly think he was an old and wise man that was already disconnecting from the mundane plane, but in reality, he was a person drowned in shady schemes and ambitious desires.
Velgor didn't feel pleasure in anything besides acquiring power and status. That's why he did many things to reach the position he currently was sitting in. The Master of the Demonic Shadow Royal Clan and the Emperor of the whole Demon Territory.
However, his plans were way deeper than that. What he really wanted, was to be revered by everyone and transcend the limits this plane imposed on him and for that, he would go way deeper.
After he entered the castle, he went to a secluded area, where no one other than him had the access and where one of the most important secrets of the Demonic Shadow Royal Clan existed.
He arrived at a place where the dark element swallowed the light completely. He black clouds hovering above the castle, paled in comparison to the blackout the dark element produced in that area..
At a such obscure place, Velgor was able to identify the entrance of a pit. Without thinking twice, he jumped inside, falling for more than three thousand meters until his feet touched the solid ground.
In front of him, there was a huge black metallic door, where there were some details of a very particular demonic being. It seemed to be more like a fluttering shadow than a normal kind of beast.
Velgor touched the metallic door and his Mana started to undo the formation that was locking it, allowing him to go inside.
But instead of entering, he stood outside, waiting for the door to open itself.
The huge metallic gate opened up, revealing nothing but total darkness inside. But Velgor was able to see a purple crystal hovering in the air inside that room, like it was the shining star of that entire environment. That purple crystal contained a purple Skystone energy signature revolving around it, but it was not a purple Skystone. It was something else, something that needed that energy in order to be sustained.
Before Velgor said anything, he heard a strange noise of something moving and he instantly knew what it was.
From inside that obscure cave, a dark mass of energy moved out like a fog, almost as if it was formless. It left the cave and occupied the whole area in front of Velgor.
Velgor suddenly knelt down and stood silent. He was right in front of the Ancestor of the Demonic Shadow Royal Clan, a genuine Shadow Demon.
The shadows parted and from inside that black fog, a very dark and deep voice started to say some words.
"What are you bothering my rest for?" It seemed discontent.
"Great Ancestor, I brought some good news. My subordinate was able to find a purple Skystone mine and it may be able to supply you, all the energy you need."
"Interesting... If I can recharge the purple Banshee core once again, I may be able to finally use the vessel you've been preparing for me all this while. Talking about the vessel, how is his development going? It is required he reaches at least the Profound Mana Realm; else his body won't be able to host my soul."
Velgor had his head bowed all this while, not letting the Shadow Demon see his expression.
"He is developing according to our plans and the technique you gave me was already implanted inside his soul."
"That's good. I'll go back to my slumber. Make sure to not come for at least an entire year. My body and Soul still haven't recovered enough for me to leave this place."
The Shadow Demon started to move back, but Velgor still had something to say.
"Great Ancestor, please wait!? I still have something important to show you."
He took a huge bottle out of his spatial ring. The content of that bottle, was none other than the crimson liquid that the red crystal golem, located inside one of the secret caves at the Desolate Scorching Wastelands was bathing in.
"Please take a look at this, ancestor."
Before the Shadow Demon had the chance to properly realize what it was or totally understand the situation, Velgor sent that bottle flying towards its direction. With a little bit of Mana, he made the bottle exploded and the content showered on top of the Shadow Demon.
Bang!
That liquid was overflowing with an unholy aura of corruption, but none of them really knew with what they were playing with. However, they were able to sense the dangerous crimson energy already starting to aggressively act just a single second after entering in contact with the dark mass of energy that constituted the body of that demonic being.
The Shadow Demon felt a searing pain where it initially had entered in contact with the crimson liquid and furiously turned towards Velgor.
"What is this?! You dare?!"
It was furious that its subject had done a move against it. That huge cloud of darkness suddenly moved like a smoking shadow, going towards Velgor. It expanded to envelop his whole body and condemn him to eternal darkness.
Velgor didn't even move. Not because he couldn't, but because he wouldn't need to.
Thump!
The Shadow Demon suddenly felt a crimson glow contaminating its body and stopped its action to contain that invading energy, but alas noting it did was enough to stop it from corrupting his body.
"What did you do?!"
Velgor finally lifted his head and stood up at the same time. His expression was completely calm, as if he was just following a script, he had created a long time ago.
"Nothing much, just made sure you are able to taste the "Crimson Agent.""
"What "Crimson Agent"? What is this thing?"
"Sigh... I don't feel like explaining, just make sure to enjoy the last minutes of sanity you still have, before totally collapsing later. I'm sure that with that enfeebled body and soul of yours, it won't take that much for you to vanish. I just feel that it is a pity that there is nothing you could offer to me anymore. That's why you're not needed."
"Argh! What bullshit is this?! I'm not needed? You're my subject! I'm the one that is the foundation of this whole clan! I'm the one who is supposed to be served!"
The whole cloud of darkness charged forwards once more. This time it didn't plan on stopping whatsoever.
"Heh!" Velgor didn't try to fight it, since he wouldn't dare to enter in contact with the "Crimson Agent". Even though he didn't know what it was, he knew better to stay away from it. All those hundreds of thousands of specimens that entered in contact with that energy, were his source of information.
His Mana Sovereign late-stage cultivation base exploded outwards, and his body vanished in the darkness.
"ARRRRR! You're trying to escape in my own domain?!"
The whole place was filled with darkness and it could be easily commanded by the Shadow Demon, but just as he was trying to do that, a sharp pain came from within his body as the corruption started to spread inside that strange body.
Suddenly, it cancelled its attack and totally merged with the shadows, turning incorporeal. If that crimson power was affecting its body, then it would take its formless state.
Velgor observed as his ancestor disappeared. He was not preoccupied at all, since he had seen a familiar scene like this, many times over already.
Just as the Shadow Demon had merged with the darkness present in the environment, the crimson corruption spreading inside his illusory form got more severe. Millions of filaments of corruption emerged in a sudden outbreak, making him leave his incorporeal state and merge back into a totally solid body.
"ARGH! PAH!" The Shadow Demon spat blood and fell on the ground.
He fell with no more shadows covering him. His body was just like a deformed animal that didn't have any hair, just a pale black skin that was already consumed by crimson lines. His blood that should have been black in color, was already red.
Velgor walked past it and entered the room it was locked inside minutes ago.
"What a shitty life you must've been living locked up here... But you don't have to worry though. I will make sure the take care of the thing you were guarding, the thing you so dearly treasured."
Velgor approached the purple crystal and grabbed it, taking it away from that place.
"VELGOR! YOU...!"
At that moment, the Shadow Demon's pupils turned crimson, since his soul was finally corrupted alongside his body. The Shadow Demon was one of the highest graded creatures, recorded to have lived in this continent, tens of thousands of years ago. Yet it wasn't able to even put up a fight against the "Crimson Agent."
Velgor looked towards the purple crystal he was holding and a rare sinister smile bloomed on his lips. He couldn't wait to put his final plan into action and finally be the host of that crimson energy.