’Breaking the Restriction in an instant is too over-the-top. It’s better to hide my full abilities a little.’

Even with his current knowledge, Lu Cang couldn’t determine what this egg-like object was.

「Secret·Cocoon of Destruction」

「Hidden Items·Ancient Forbidden Creatures·Source of Calamity」

「Activation Method 1: By Soul Sacrifice—Sacrifice a sufficient number of souls.」

「Activation Method 2: Wait for it to mature naturally.」

’After all, Demons just appear out of nowhere. How could one be born from an egg?’

Even in an area covered by one’s Perception, a new Demon could still be born unnoticed in some neglected corner where attention has lapsed.

’The hidden item inside isn’t a Demon, but a creature.’

Kumironi stepped forward and touched the Restriction.

"It’s really been broken."

"Little Lu Cang, how did you do it?"

"Hehe, I just so happened to figure out a special way to break them. I suppose most of the Restrictions in this world aren’t designed to defend against my method."

Lu Cang was telling the truth.

Indeed, there was no way to defend against a Divine Talent.

"Lu Cang, you’re truly an even more incredible genius than Iz."

Iz overheard and retorted, "Kumironi, I think you’re speaking too soon. He’s not as good as me when it comes to Magic."

Kumironi fell silent for a moment before replying, "Hmm... let’s not talk about that."

Iz’s mouth twitched. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’It’s certainly a lonely feeling when no one is more of a genius than you are, but when someone actually comes along who is, it’s a bit hard to accept.’

’Forget it...’

’He’s my apprentice, after all. If I’d had a master like me back then, my achievements would certainly be no less than his.’

’Besides, true genius is measured by depth and mastery in one field, not by breadth and knowledge across many.’

’My mastery of Magic should be greater than the sum total of his accomplishments in all his other fields combined.’

’That is enough.’

With this understanding, Iz cast aside his earlier feelings.

’Let him be strong; I have my own path to the Root Source.’

’And on second thought, if he truly becomes my equal in the future, that would actually be a rather pleasant state of affairs.’

"Sister Kumironi, Master Iz, what do you two think of this thing inside?"

With the Restriction broken, Iz and Kumironi could also extend their Perception inside.

They saw only a floor filled with viscous black blood, and in the very center of the room, a constantly throbbing egg.

It looked like an egg, but also like a placenta.

The sight alone was viscerally nauseating.

"There’s an extremely vigorous Life Force inside..." Kumironi sensed.

"The egg has strong Magic Power fluctuations," Iz said.

"The ground beneath the black blood is inscribed with a Ritual Array. It looks like an Array used for Sacrifice, probably to offer sacrifices to the egg in the center."

"But from what I can feel, this egg’s strength probably doesn’t exceed that of a Tier Six Nation Destruction Level Demon."

A Tier Six Nation Destruction Level Demon was already considered one of the absolute peak fighting forces on the Ruelun Continent.

They had only encountered so many Submerged Land Level threats before because of the Sacrifice.

Under normal circumstances, even in the Cave of Desperate Wails, Submerged Land Level Demons would remain sealed away and would never appear unless those powerful Seals were broken.

"Hmm..."

After hearing their responses, Lu Cang had a rough idea of the situation.

’It seems I’m the only one who has discovered what’s truly hidden inside,’ he thought.

"Sister Kumironi, I have an idea."

"Hm?"

"This Ritual should be for sacrificing souls to the egg. It’s just that the Sacrifice isn’t complete yet. I think I can continue and finish it."

"However, performing the Sacrifice directly is too dangerous. I want to try and Control it first, and then complete the Sacrifice."

"Perhaps then we can find out what kind of scheme is hidden here."

"Ngh..." Kumironi glanced over at Iz.

In truth, she wasn’t very fond of this proposal.

Iz, however, laughed magnanimously. "Then do as you wish. If it gets dangerous, we’ll just step in and destroy it."

Kumironi sighed as well. "Since Iz has said so, let’s do that."

Lu Cang grinned. "Okay, then I’ll be relying on you, Master Iz."

’It really gives you confidence when you have backup,’ he thought.

’If I had come alone, I probably wouldn’t have even touched this egg. I would have had to call for help.’

’Before my advancement, I would have been more inclined to just destroy the egg without even trying to see what the hidden item was.’

But after becoming a Level 3 Death Priest, the boost to his Spirituality had given Lu Cang a faint premonition.

This thing... he could make it his own.

[Premonition: The compass of Destiny. When you find yourself wavering, unable to make a rational choice, it is best to trust the premonition born from your intuition. — *Clarity and Premonition*]

He had heard that High Tier Observers, Warriors, and Divination Masters all gained different types of premonition abilities.

Lu Cang activated the entrance, and the stone wall rumbled open.

As the stone wall rose, a black, blood-like liquid began to flow continuously from the opening.

It quickly spread across a large area outside the room.

Iz and Kumironi floated in mid-air, their feet never touching the ground, unwilling to make contact with the foul black blood.

Lu Cang waited until the doorway was fully open before he too floated inside.

He controlled the mechanism, preventing the door from closing.

A small, silver Dagger materialized in Lu Cang’s right hand.

After Lu Cang entered, the egg continued to throb. He could feel a powerful soul contained within it.

This soul was completely one with the egg, making it impossible to control directly.

Lu Cang raised the Dagger high, its tip pointing downward.

Power, carried by his Magic Power, began to gather endlessly!