Chapter 24: Devouring Genes

Yun Xiao and Wu Yunqing stared at the scene in shock.

What was happening?

Two Devil-Contractors who had activated their Devilization had, without any warning, knelt before Ren Jie? They couldn't even move?

They felt nothing themselves, only that Ren Jie seemed like a completely different person. The overwhelming majesty radiating from him was so intense that they dared not even look him in the eye.

Ye Yue, being closest to Ren Jie, felt the full force of this majesty most directly. Even as a God-Favored, she couldn't help but feel her legs go weak and her entire body tremble. She stared at Ren Jie’s profile in utter disbelief.

Clearly, the influence of this "Devil's Might" was limited to Devil-Contractors.

Chen Hua was currently pressed against the ground, her eyes filled with terror, while Li Zhan, on the verge of falling into complete demonic corruption, laughed maniacally, his face twisted with madness.

"The Might of the Great Devil! Yes, I have felt this from that person before. You! It must be you!"

"You are the one the Tarot Cards are looking for! Hahahaha..."

Ren Jie frowned. What the hell were Tarot Cards?

However, Ye Yue’s pupils constricted. Tarot Cards?

*Hiss~*

Was the situation really this deep? No wonder; otherwise, why would the Devil’s Claw go to such lengths for a newly awakened Devil-Contractor? They had even risked a direct confrontation with the Demon Suppression Division.

But these were not things she needed to consider right now. The opportunity was rare; she had to finish them off first.

The boundary master realized the situation was dire and prepared to flee. Ye Yue grabbed Ren Jie and spun, her blood armor flowing back into her hands to form a long spear. She threw it with violent force toward the boundary master. The boundary master tried to defend with his black coffin, but this time it failed. The Blood God Spear shattered the coffin and pierced straight through him.

He was finished, and the "Square Boundary" shattered on the spot.

"Ye Huai!"

"Understood!"

Ye Huai waved his hand, and countless steel bars in the factory flew into the air, transforming into sharp blades. They pierced through Ye Yue’s blood moon, soaking them in divine blood. They turned into blood spears, descending from the sky and pinning Chen Hua and Li Zhan to the ground.

Under the suppression of the Devil's Might, the two were unable to move, waiting in despair for their end.

Li Zhan, eyes filled with malice and resentment, used a special method to transmit a message.

"Lord Ghost King, the one the Tarot Cards are seeking has been found. It is Ren..."

Before the message could be completed, he was turned into a hedgehog by hundreds of blood spears and breathed his last. Chen Hua met the same fate.

Even in death, they never imagined that a perfectly planned ambush would be completely reversed because of Ren Jie. The oriole had been killed by the mantis instead.

Seeing that the boundary master, Li Zhan, and Chen Hua were all dead, Ye Yue and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Ren Jie had already reverted from his Devilized state, and the oppressive Devil’s Might had vanished.

At this moment, Ren Jie’s heart was bleeding. All the "Emotional Mist" he had worked so hard to collect all day was gone. Even his recent level-up hadn't consumed that much; one wave of Devil’s Might had completely wiped his reserves clean. Without the Emotional Mist, his "Original Sin of the Devil" would activate, and he was going to start acting like a pervert again.

"You..."

"Gu-hee~ Gu-hee-hee~"

At this moment, Ren Jie, still in Ye Yue’s arms, let out an inexplicable laugh. He rubbed his face against Ye Yue’s chest, a look of pure bliss on his face.

Ye Yue’s face turned bright red, and she quickly pushed him away.

"What are you doing?"

Ren Jie looked at her with a serious expression:

(｡･ˇ◠ˇ･｡) "Miss, you must suffer from shoulder and neck pain quite often, right?"

"How... how did you know?"

Ren Jie said solemnly: ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)✧ "I am a humble part-time chiropractor, professionally certified. Through massage, I can effectively improve these symptoms and relieve fatigue."

"After all, judging by your proportions, the two together must weigh at least five pounds. Carrying such a heavy load while fighting every day, how could your shoulders not be sore? How could your neck not ache?"

"Do you need a professional adjustment? I can give you a discou—"

Before he could finish, Ye Yue’s earlobes turned red. With a flick of her hand, a blood blade materialized and rested against Ren Jie’s neck.

"No, thank you! I don't need it!"

What kind of nonsense was "five pounds"? And a massage? If he wanted to take advantage of her, he could just say so!

Yun Xiao burst out laughing.

ᥬ(´థжథ)σ "Five pounds... Ye Five-Pounds? Pfft~"

Ren Jie raised an eyebrow:

(๑◔д◔ิ) "What are you laughing at? Even if you asked me for a massage, I wouldn't take the job. Why? Because it’s too bony! No wonder nobody is chasing you!"

Yun Xiao: ???

"Pfft! Bony? How could it be bony? If you don't believe me, you... Ah! I'll fight you to the death!"

Yun Xiao bared her cute little fangs, looking like she wanted to fight Ren Jie to the end.

Ren Jie looked heartbroken: "Is this how you treat your savior? I just saved your life..."

Yun Xiao’s expression stiffened, and she said with a guilty conscience: "That... that's true~"

"Then why don't you lift your skirt and show me your panties to repay me for saving your life?"

Yun Xiao: !!!

Are you doing it again? Is this guy a Devil-Contractor influenced by the Sin of Lust?

"I'm not healing your wounds later!"

"Sorry~ I have no wounds~"

"You..."

Ye Yue waved her hand.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Ren Jie, you should absorb these two. They are Devil-Contractors, after all; their Devil Gene Fragments will be useful to you..."

Ren Jie was stunned, looking at the two corpses that were barely recognizable...

"Absorb? How do I absorb them?"

Wu Yunqing laughed out loud: "This kid is a true rookie, really fresh~"

Ye Huai looked grim, but it was because of this rookie that they had turned the tables; otherwise, it was hard to say who would have won tonight.

Ye Yue explained patiently: "Once a Gene Warrior completes their awakening and enters the First Tier, they automatically awaken the Devour Gene."

"You can absorb the gene fragments of monsters, spirits, and devils to increase the level of your skills."

"Every Gene Warrior has two skill slots per tier. These skills do not automatically level up with the warrior; they require the absorption of a large number of gene fragments to advance."

"Absorbing fragments that match your own attributes works best, though non-matching ones provide some benefit as well."

"The skill level cannot exceed the Gene Warrior’s own level. In other words, if you are a First-Tier Gene Warrior, your skills can only be First-Tier; they won't become Second-Tier."

"Of course, we can accumulate gene fragments in advance, similar to an experience bar in a game. If you fill the bar while at the First Tier, your skills will automatically jump to the Second Tier when you rank up. Do you understand now?"

Ren Jie froze, suddenly remembering the flame-leaf on the branch representing his skill on the Devil Tree.

So, one leaf meant the skill was First-Tier?

Yun Xiao said unhappily: "These two Devil-Contractors are quite high-level. It should be enough for you to max out your skill experience bar in one go."

Ren Jie swallowed, and without further ado, he stepped forward and plunged his hands into the two corpses.

The next moment, black light emerged from his hands. He could clearly feel something flowing into his body.

The veins on the leaves representing "Incineration" and "Blazing Blade Slash" all lit up. Clearly, they were maxed out.

But in the next moment, Ren Jie was stunned.

Beneath the roots of the Devil Tree, he saw a piece of human skin wrapped around the roots, along with a monster covered in blades.

Ren Jie: ???

Were these the Devil Souls of Chen Hua and Li Zhan?

Why did they end up on his side?