After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 69.1

Aelioge was about to lose it!

He frantically gave Justin eye signals.

The corner of Justin’s mouth twitched slightly. He just wanted to say this was your own slip-up, how come uncle still has to cover for you? Besides, I can’t lie to Brother Xiu!

Aelioge glared at Justin, you have plenty of embarrassing history too!

Justin coughed once, pretending to think, and repeated Xiu Si’s question, “Can a level 30+ demon take human form?”

At this moment, the two cats fighting seemed to notice something was off.

The little ragdoll looked left and right, suddenly realizing. Ah! It was the stupid Aelioge who exposed himself. Damn this little brother, you dare criticize me when you’re the one who’s most likely to slip up!

He should be punished! He should be punished! The little ragdoll was extremely angry.

Celerios looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was happening.

Aelioge was extremely nervous, his gaze trembling as he looked at the black-haired youth.

He saw that the black-haired youth’s brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes serious, as if he cared very much about this matter.

Aelioge frantically sent a mental message: Justin, your pause cooldown is almost over, if you don’t speak soon Father will definitely be suspicious!

He almost rushed in.

Seeing this, Justin had no choice but to construct an explanation in his mind.

But before Justin could speak, Xiu Si seemed to have figured it out. His brows suddenly relaxed, his eyes brightened, and he unexpectedly said, “Ah… it’s really beautiful. I’ve imagined His human form many times, but His true form still surpasses my imagination.”

W-what?!

Not just Justin, but the two demons nearby and the one at the door were all dumbfounded.

Beautiful? Did he mean Aelioge’s human form was beautiful?

The little ragdoll was almost shocked to her feet.

As he spoke, Xiu Si nodded, as if still savoring it, and repeated appreciatively. “I really didn’t expect Aelioge’s human form to be so beautiful.”

As his words fell, the entire air went silent.

Justin was stunned.

Aelioge’s eyes widened, his pupils shaking violently.

The little ragdoll pressed down on the little Munchkin, her cat eyes full of shock, her mouth agape.

Father, your train of thought is off!

Is this the main point?

The little Munchkin hadn’t reacted, but was also shocked along with the others.

Aelioge finally realized, Father is a severe beauty-lover, he had said more than once – he hoped their human forms would be beautiful.

Ah, that’s right! So Father didn’t think too much about it, he was just shocked that His human form was very beautiful?

Aelioge suddenly understood, and was even more shocked. Their Father’s train of thought was too surprising!

Justin was the first to react, rubbing his chin and saying ambiguously, “I’m not very familiar with the demons of the abyss, maybe it’s possible, maybe it’s not. However, there are many inexplicable wonders in this world. Even if it’s true that a level 30+ demon can take human form, it’s not that strange. I remember the Goddess of Wisdom has a divine medicine that can turn any creature into human form, regardless of level, even plants and trees can be transformed.”

This was completely the language art of an old hand. Although not a single word was false, he didn’t really answer the question.

“Is that so.”

Xiu Si nodded and pondered. “He must have had something to do, coming back and leaving again. Actually, I wanted to take another look because it was really unexpected.”

“Haha, is that so.”

Justin glanced at Aelioge, who was already shocked to stone at the door, and smiled. “He must be busy with something. After all, He’s over eight thousand years old. Even a pig could become a spirit living that long, let alone Brother Xiu’s clever and intelligent child.”

Xiu Si suddenly realized, “Could it be that They’ve been hiding Their strength to take care of me?”

Justin thought to himself that They had indeed hidden it, and more than just a little.

However, his Brother Xiu’s parental filter was truly so thick it left him speechless, completely unconcerned about the hiding, big-hearted and tolerant.

Xiu Si compared in his mind, excitedly saying, “If that appearance came to our real world, it would definitely be a world-class supermodel or big celebrity!”

“Is it that good-looking?” Justin smiled and nodded along, suddenly thinking, isn’t Their mischievousness fundamentally indulged by you, Brother Xiu?

Growing up in near-doting affection, then growing wild, becoming great demons that shocked the continent, and now returning to their father’s side as a group of soft, pitiful little animals.

Justin felt this was hard to judge.

But Xiu Si’s heartfelt joy was purely an appreciation of beauty.

Justin thought to himself, this is truly a father’s love as vast as a mountain.

It was only at this moment that Aelioge at the door finally came to his senses, shocked in his heart: As expected of Father, his train of thought is always so unpredictable!

But, he had made Father proud.

Father said he liked His appearance!!

The corners of Aelioge’s mouth were harder to suppress than an AK, his demonic power released with his mood, even his cat fur was floating.

Father didn’t blame Him for hiding his human form, but was happy for Him!

Aelioge’s cat eyes shone with tears, excited and moved.

At the same time, the little ragdoll saw Aelioge’s happy appearance.

The little ragdoll was furious, immediately gritting her teeth, angrily cursing: Damn Aelioge, why do you get to go first! I want to reveal my human form too, I want Father to praise me too!

Aelioge noticed Buer’s fierce gaze from the side, and immediately advised: Buer, don’t be rash!

The little ragdoll didn’t care, raising her chin: I’m a super beautiful girl, Father will definitely be super happy when he sees me!

I’m much prettier than you, let’s have a beauty contest, Aelioge!

This is war!

As she spoke, her whole body’s cat fur stood up, about to release her demonic power.

Aelioge had a sudden inspiration and urgently said, “If you turn human, you won’t be able to ask Father for pats and hugs anymore!”

The little ragdoll suddenly stopped, her cat eyes blinking, thinking it seemed to be true. If you’ve already turned human, then turning back into a cat later, Father’s attitude would definitely change.

Aelioge pressed his advantage. “You should keep your current state first, the cat form is definitely more convenient to stay by Father’s side.”

His sincere expression even convinced Celerios.

The little ragdoll turned her head to glance at Xiu Si, hesitating and conflicted, but finally obediently didn’t reveal her human form.

Anyway, Father will know eventually!

Aelioge inwardly sighed in relief. One cub was fine, but if all the cubs revealed their human forms at once, even if Father was big-hearted, he’d probably need some time alone to process it.

Aelioge reminded. “Take it slow, okay?”

The little ragdoll snorted, this guy even let his human form slip, what right does he have to give her advice? My stupid little brother, in the end it’ll be up to Big Sister Bu.

Aelioge breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, as Xiu Si was chatting with Justin, he suddenly remembered, didn’t he have two cubs behind him too? Could They also turn human? Buer had even spoken human words before!

Xiu Si looked back, only to see the two cats obediently lying down, the little ragdoll leaning against the little Munchkin, like two big cotton candies nestled together.

So cute!!

Xiu Si was instantly struck, revealing a happy smile like an old father, any doubts and suspicions instantly vanishing, forgetting everything he was about to ask.

Justin beside him wanted to speak but held back.

He had noticed that Brother Xiu’s love for his cubs seemed to have no bottom line, always able to think of the best possibility to convince himself.

Xiu Si looked at the children, his lips curving upwards, saying, “Look, aren’t They very cute?”

Justin looked at the two demons pretending to be cute, then looked back at the blissful Xiu Si, paused subtly, and said to Xiu Si. “They are very cute.”

“Haha, right? They are all very good children.”

Xiu Si praised them non-stop, listing all Their various merits.

Justin actually wanted to directly expose Their identities, but he couldn’t. He owed the children a favor, or should he say, a demonic favor?

Alright, never mind then… Brother Xiu will find out eventually, and the mischievous ones will get their comeuppance sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time, no need to rush.

Human affairs are always flexible. And besides…

Justin felt guilty inside and suddenly said, “The other children probably went to find their uncles and aunts. Despite how They usually act, They might unexpectedly be very sensible.”

Xiu Si paused, nodded, and recalled. “Indeed, on the day Luo Jie had an incident, They were the ones who led me to find him. Although it later turned out to be a body double, not Luo Jie himself.”

Justin: “Haha, see? They’re quite capable.”

“However…”

Xiu Si remembered the red cat who hadn’t been active for a long time, and said with some concern. “Hmm… I hope They don’t encounter any danger.”

Justin: “They’re clever, They’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Xiu Si seemed to have stopped dwelling on the “human form” issue, but his gaze was somewhat deep, as if lost in thought.

Outside, night had fallen, and the temperature was gradually dropping.

Seeing that the matter seemed to be resolved, Aelioge couldn’t help but heave a long sigh of relief.

It was good that Father had praised His human form, but after today, He didn’t know if He could still use His cat form.

There were gains and losses.

He reviewed the situation, and His inner conflict slowly resolved. Father could recognize Him, Father didn’t care whether He might have had a past before, wasn’t knowing these things enough?

Beelzebub’s prediction had really come true.

He had been too clever for His own good, overthinking things.

Aelioge belatedly realized this after reviewing everything, and His mood greatly improved, His whole cat form radiant!

He transformed from cat to human, leaning against the bookstore door, then raised His eyes to the sky, fixing His gaze on a dim star.

It was the planet that the God of War had transformed into, hanging there for thousands of years. Every time He looked at the sky, He would subconsciously avoid looking at that area, but now? Not only would He look, He would stare at it. What was there to avoid?

As Aelioge’s state of mind changed, His demonic power also underwent a qualitative change.

It seemed as if He had leveled up.

The rules that would have once constrained Him now circumvented Him, no longer able to affect Him.

His demonic power surged, His authority sublimated.

“Max level” theoretically couldn’t level up further, but His demonic power had indeed risen to a new level.

What did this mean?

If max level was like a container being full, then an increase after max level would be expanding the container itself.

In other words — ascension.

For humans, ascension meant igniting the divine flame, condensing a divine core, or seizing a divine core and reshaping oneself.

As for demons, it was actually not much different. Either cultivate their own divine core, or seize and digest the divine core of other gods.

It was that simple and straightforward.

Back in the day, after Aelioge defeated the God of War, His strength stopped increasing.

Why? Because the God of War’s words made Him doubt Himself, causing Him to be unable to use the authority of [War] without reservations, let alone continue to ascend.

Now that He had come to terms with it, that psychological barrier formed by words naturally crumbled, and the power that had been blocked for thousands of years naturally strengthened.

“Scheming old thing, always trying to trip others up in the end.”

Aelioge cursed, letting His demonic power flow freely.

Then, He raised His hand, looking at the dark patterns spreading on His arm.

This thing was the authority of plague, an authority that existed alongside [War]. Whenever He got excited, it would appear uncontrollably.

Father had never set up this kind of authority, but it just existed, persistently existing. Just like how war was always accompanied by plague.

And He had never told Father about it.

Aelioge reflected on the [Plague] authority, which had been like a birthmark or stain on Him for thousands of years. He had been suppressing this power, which led to His incompleteness.

Now that His mindset had broken through, He accepted [Plague] as part of Himself. It was time to update His “Rank 15” status, which had been neither here nor there.

Strength could solve most problems, couldn’t it?

In the darkness, Aelioge’s emerald eyes emitted a cold light. He stretched out His right hand, fingers curled, as if controlling His own power.

“Don’t you think so, Big Brother?”

Aelioge murmured, recalling the last time He saw His eldest brother.

That day, the stars were brilliant, and the world was silent.

His brother seemed to have seen something, staring at Him for a while before finally saying something profound.

“Aeli, understand yourself, then surpass.”

His eldest brother was usually taciturn, rarely speaking to them on his own initiative. But that day, he had gone against his nature to give Him advice, showing that he had seen through Him.

Big Brother might not be as omniscient as Second Brother, but he had extremely strong intuition. When he did speak, it was often with true insight, every word shocking.

His younger siblings all had different personalities, some even disregarding ultimate beings, yet they all sincerely admired Big Brother. One reason was that Big Brother was too strong, powerful enough to often fight a dozen of them at once, and perceptive enough to see through their true situations at a glance.

He was flawless in all aspects, perfectly embodying the word “strong.”

However, truthfully, whenever Aelioge thought of Big Brother, His whole body would ache, as if memories of past beatings were resurfacing.

“Hmm… better not think about it.”

“Big Brother is the trump card, best not to use unless absolutely necessary.”

Aelioge shook His head, His peripheral vision catching the movement of stars, realizing Beelzebub had gone to destroy the Divine Kingdom.

But this time, He didn’t try to stop him, nor could He.

No one could sway Beelzebub once he had made up his mind. After all, he was a lawless demon who dared to bite even Father. It was truly impossible to make him restrain his nature.

Speaking of which, Aelioge had two guesses about the God of Destruction. One was that he hadn’t revived, and was just Federi’s front. The other was that he had revived, like the current God of War, awakening a new consciousness, but was still weak and needed to slowly recover his strength, which was why he needed the divine body of the Great Hammurabi Empire.

The conflict between the new and old gods of the same divine position was inevitable sooner or later.

He had tried to prevent Beelzebub from contacting the Divine Kingdom of Destruction, but fate would surely guide Beelzebub there. Whether he lived or died would depend on Beelzebub’s own abilities; they, as outside demons, couldn’t interfere.

However, with the newborn God of Destruction in Federi’s hands, whether he could grow smoothly was also a question.

Of course, if Federi devoured the newborn God of Destruction, he would become the new God of Destruction himself.

For Beelzebub, it didn’t matter much who it was specifically.

After analyzing the situation, Aelioge decided to temporarily leave the Divine Kingdom of Destruction alone.

Leave it to Beelzebub.

A few minutes later, He first went to the Aust Empire, observing the scholars’ situation from the shadows behind the bookshelves, then glancing at Amon and Inpos.

Amon had put on his glasses, pointing at the blackboard and speaking eloquently, his passion burning.

The people below all had halos appearing above their heads, looking like they might ascend at any moment.

These halos were, of course, not illusions, but Inpos’s authority, with effects like [Strong Memory], [Concentration], [Forgetting Food and Sleep], [Knowledge Satiation], and so on.

Under the influence of Inpos’s authority, the historians were passionately writing, their pens leaving afterimages.

The efficiency seemed to have at least tripled.

Inpos had tried to escape multiple times but was caught by Amon. His resentment value was continuously rising, his head almost displaying the words “Let me go, I want to see Father” in large letters.

Aelioge shook His head, thinking this couldn’t be blamed on Him. He had told Inpos how to control Amon, but Inpos hadn’t grasped the method. What could He do? Falling into Amon’s hands was due to your own lack of ability, Inpos.