Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 583: Unknown Being

Liora was ready to act.

After all, although she did not know whether it was an enemy or not, the corpse’s mere appearance was enough to put her on guard.

She had already suffered once at the hands of the supposedly dead World Devourer Ancestor.

Now, faced with another "dead" being at the Ancient Devil stage, she had no intention of giving it the chance to make the first move.

Yet halfway through the motion, just as the Cosmic Sea within her body began to churn, Liora suddenly noticed something.

Her gaze turned strange as she let her rising aura disperse.

Her eyes locked onto the corpse, only to find the aura that had just erupted rapidly decaying.

Its opening eyes slowly closed once more, while the violent fluctuations of its body gradually subsided.

Within moments, the previously intact corpse began to disintegrate.

The remaining skin and flesh instantly crumbled into ash. The muscles, organs, and even its robes followed suit.

Only a single object remained behind—a golden skeleton.

Although its aura had faded and all accompanying phenomena had disappeared, the skeleton still looked magnificent.

Seated cross-legged at the center of the room, it seemed to have become the very center of the universe.

Liora stared at it silently for several seconds.

Only when a faint clicking sound echoed through the room did she snap back to reality.

Following the source of the sound, she noticed that an object had quietly fallen onto the floor.

It was a ring, nearly identical to the one Elaouthr had previously shown her after retrieving it from the corpse he had found.

Liora did not know what such equipment was called in the cultivation civilization.

However, the name ultimately did not matter.

She knew its purpose.

Just like spatial rings or the Space Orb she almost always carried with her, it served as a storage treasure.

This was the first item she had discovered on this floor and in the tower as a whole.

Judging from the way it had appeared, it likely contained the inheritance and treasures of this unknown powerhouse.

The owner’s aura had long since dispersed over the billions of years that had passed.

Even so, judging from the corpse’s ability to remain intact for so long—and from the overwhelming display during its brief awakening—it was obvious that this person had once stood at an unimaginable height.

An Ancient Devil.

And not an ordinary one at that.

Their inheritance was enough to drive even peak Archdevils insane, much less demons like Elaouthr who had entered the city fragment.

Liora was certain that had the demon been standing where she was now, he would have rushed forward without a second thought to claim it.

However, she didn’t.

Instead, her eyes lingered on the bronze ring for several moments before turning back to the golden skeleton.

There, she seemed to sense something.

And thus, she spoke.

"Aren’t you going to come out yet?"

"I’m rather curious. How were you able to preserve yourself for so long?"

Silence.

For several moments, no one answered.

It was as though Liora had gone mad and was speaking to herself.

Naturally, that was far from the truth.

Seeing that the lingering will showed no intention of revealing itself, Liora’s expression gradually turned cold.

"Since you refuse to come out, then there’s no reason for you to continue existing."

The moment her words fell, she acted without the slightest hesitation.

The Cosmic Sea within her surged once more, causing her aura to climb to its peak in an instant.

Then she struck.

The entire chamber lit up with the iridescence of a thousand colors.

The formations that had been drawing energy from the outside world were apparently capable of defense as well.

Countless patterns materialized before Liora, weaving themselves into several protective barriers in an attempt to stop her attack.

Unfortunately for them, the outcome had long been decided.

The barriers shattered almost instantly.

The violent collision caused the formation itself to crack apart, while the resulting disturbance looked ready to spread throughout the entire tower.

Fortunately, Liora acted quickly.

Before the damaged formation could transmit a warning, she intercepted the message, preventing the tower from sensing anything unusual.

Meanwhile, her palm continued unabated.

Her slender fingers landed upon the golden skeleton, where they met astonishing resistance.

Even so, it lasted for only a brief instant.

A sharp cracking sound soon echoed.

Fractures rapidly spread across the skeleton’s surface.

Then, with a thunderous boom—

Half of its abdomen exploded.

Liora showed no mercy.

She raised her hand again, preparing to deliver the finishing blow and completely kill the enemy.

But just then, a panicked scream rang throughout the chamber.

"No! How is this possible?!"

"How could someone shatter my Golden Body at the beginning of this Era?!"

As the voice echoed, a phantom emerged from within the skeleton.

It was a rough middle-aged man.

Unlike Taoist Everflow, whom they had encountered earlier, this man appeared far less ethereal. His sharp features and sturdy build gave him a fierce, imposing presence, as though he were a martial artist rather than a cultivator.

More importantly, intelligence flashed within his eyes, along with a trace of unmistakable fear.

"Just as I thought...", Liora muttered inwardly upon seeing the phantom emerge.

She had long sensed that something was wrong with the corpse.

Although the other party had done their best to conceal it, the suspicious timing of the bronze ring appearing had only strengthened her suspicions.

Taking into account the bizarre methods of cultivators, she had chosen to remain cautious.

Unexpectedly, that caution had paid off almost immediately.

Not only had the hidden enemy revealed itself, but it had also exposed several intriguing pieces of information that very moment.

Golden Body. Era. Beginning.

Liora silently repeated these terms to herself, feeling they pointed directly toward the truth hidden behind this long-lost civilization.

Glancing at the phantom, who stared back at her in both fear and disbelief, her eyes glowed faintly.

She reached out.

Countless grains of cosmic dust surged forth. They wrapped around the phantom like bloodthirsty vines before dragging it toward her.

She was about to devour it.

But just then, another frantic cry rang out:

"Wait!"

"Aren’t you curious about the previous Era?"

"If you kill me, you won’t be able to learn anything! No matter what methods you use... It has already erased everything that can..."

"I.... I can help!"