It didn't matter what Xiang Shaoyun wanted. The leeches continued infusing pure devil blood into him. If he wanted to live, he needed blood. Otherwise, he would eventually turn into a dried corpse. With his life on the line, he had no other option. Even if he hated this, he could only survive by absorbing the devil blood.

If not for revenge, he still had to live on so he could meet the mother he had never met before. He had wished to meet his mother since young. However, he had never gotten the chance. Even now, that longing still persisted in his heart.

He might have said that having a father was enough, but after knowing where his mother was, he still couldn't wait to see her—to know how she looked, to know about her life, to know if she still remembered him.

With that in mind, the rune appeared on his forehead. The devil blood in his body stirred, and a powerful suction force erupted from his body as he started absorbing the devil blood. With the infusion of devil blood, his withered body recovered. A vigorous life force spread throughout his body, allowing him to regain his previous looks with the addition of a thick devilish aura.

The rune on his forehead constantly absorbed devilish energy from the air. At one point, he even felt like his forehead was bloated with energy, causing him some discomfort. It was as though something was taking form in his head.

When he used his inner gaze, he found a black clump of energy revolving within his head. The black energy was still growing, and it was evident that this energy would soon reach a terrifying level.

He also learned that this black clump was the accumulation of his devilish energy. The devilish energy seemed to have been within him all along, but it had merely been scattered throughout his Imperial Nether Domain. With his rune and bloodline, the energy was finally gathered together.

Abruptly, Xiang Shaoyun thought of something and exclaimed in alarm, "I-is this a devil core?"

Similar to how each demonic beast had a demonic core, each devil also had a devil core. The core was essentially a crystallization of their energy. If Xiang Shaoyun allowed this devil core to take form, he would truly turn into a devil, which was probably what the Nether Monarch was aiming for.

"No!" That wasn't something Xiang Shaoyun wanted to happen. He tried his best to resist and scatter the energy. Unfortunately, the core formation was beyond his control.

He had the purest of devilish energy around him, the purest of imperial nether blood in him, and a body forged by devil blood. Apart from killing himself, he wouldn't be able to stop this process. As more and more devilish energy gathered in his head, the clump of energy became denser and denser. It wouldn't be long before it took on a corporeal form.

Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation was also increasing sharply. This wasn't a growth in his astral energy. Rather, it was a growth of his rank as a devil. For some reason, the devil rank did not have any conflict with his human cultivation realm. That was because the devil core was taking form in his head where the Imperial Nether Domain was located. This was what every Imperial Nether Clan member should have.

Engulfed in thick devilish energy, Xiang Shaoyun eventually gave up struggling. If he had to transform into a devil to live, so be it. As someone who had lived three lives, he wasn't too stubborn about certain matters. When he reached the apex of cultivation, he would still be honored regardless of his bloodline. Who would dare show disrespect to an existence of that level? For now, he only needed to live. Nothing else mattered.

Xiang Shaoyun did not know how long he had stayed in the cave. In the blink of an eye, half the Devil Hunting Expedition's allotted period had passed. Many had perished, but many had also gained a large number of contribution points. One powerhouse after another also revealed themselves.

The Diabolic Dragon Clan had increased the intensity of their attack, sending more and more devils to the upper layers of the Devil Domain. The third layer had transformed into a living hell. Out of ten humans stepping foot into the third layer, nine would die. The danger forced many participants to return to the second layer.

Many Saint Realm humans still remained in the third layer. They had to stop the advance of the Devil Saints. The moment a large number of Devil Saints reached the second layer or even the first layer would be the start of the clash between the humans and the devils.

If the devils were allowed to reach the surface world, a disaster would unfold. During the past one and a half years, the four academies had lost about half their disciples who had participated in the expedition. This was the cruel reality that many couldn't accept. However, the survivors had also grown greatly in strength. Only those who had been tempered in blood could truly grow into individuals capable of standing high above many others.

The Overlord Legion had also lost about half their members. People like Ma Qihao, Li Haonan, and some others who had once followed Xiang Shaoyun had all perished in the Devil Domain. Even someone as strong as Ouyang Chuanqi had suffered serious injuries and gone missing.

On the other hand, Zhuge Zhantian had reaped a great benefit. He was lucky enough to encounter a place of inheritance that he had an affinity with. Relying on the inheritance, he had reached the Soul Foundation Realm. He had also obtained a saint-grade formation tool, greatly boosting his capabilities in regards to formations.

Of course, the formation book he received from Xiang Shaoyun had also played a great role in helping him reach his current height. As for Han Chenfei and Tang Longfei, they were doing decently. However, many of those following them had also perished. At the moment, they had retreated to the second layer. There, they gathered all the surviving Overlord Legion members. By moving together, they hoped to reduce the number of casualties.

Xia Liuhui, Liang Zhuangmin, Wu Zhijun, and Min Rourou were also doing decently. They listened to Xiang Shaoyun and remained in the second layer. They were still able to handle the enemies in this layer.

They survived easily by picking their fights and fleeing when encountering enemies they couldn't defeat. Since there were only four of them, it wasn't too hard for them to escape either. Only in situations where they couldn't escape would they slaughter a path of blood to freedom.

One ought to admit that these four were quite lucky. They hadn't encountered overly strong devils, and they had even stumbled upon some fortuitous encounters. Through the tempering, the relationships of the two couples also grew rapidly. Unlike previously when the two couples were only together unofficially, they had officially coupled together.

As for Devil Concubine and Yu Caidie, after going mad from losing Xiang Shaoyun, they had made a name for themselves through their fighting prowess. They had become the brightest pearls of the Devil Domain, and the number of people courting them had increased sharply.

Alas, they scorned all their admirers. Even the most stunning participants in the Devil Hunting Expedition weren't able to win their favor. However, their aloofness only served to provoke their admirers' strong desire to conquer them.