"Then you know what the Dark Demon Armor does for me?" Lucifer Liushui looped her arms around the back of Qian Jin's neck, her body seeming to cling to him. "Do you know why I absolutely must obtain the Dark Demon Armor?"

Qian Jin could only shake his head repeatedly. Every tribe held its own secrets; even with the most extensive notes left by the Qian family ancestors, core secrets belonging to other tribes remained utterly unknown to them.

"Because..."

Lucifer Liushui's long, black hair suddenly shot straight up, and surging magical power erupted like a gale. Strands of potent Dou Qi mixed with magic bloomed forth from her body.

Bloodline Power Awakening! Qian Jin's pupils contracted rapidly. An awakening at this precise moment? This Tenth Princess of the Demon Race had once been near the pinnacle of strength within their squad. Following the emergence of the Ancient Barren Sand Sea, this princess hadn't sought power in the desert but instead headed for the Zhence Imperial Dynasty, losing an opportunity to increase her strength.

Currently, Lucifer Liushui's strength within the team was only slightly above Fen Tu Kuangge’s; whether she could truly defeat Mune Zhence in a direct fight was debatable.

Qian Jin had once assumed that the Tenth Princess’s individual combat prowess might have stalled there. He never expected that at this juncture, Lucifer Liushui would suddenly undergo a Bloodline Power Awakening.

For ordinary warriors, the awakening of bloodline power seemed inherently unfair—years of effort amounting to less than the sudden surge granted by their lineage.

Yet, it was precisely because of this unfairness that bloodline power had become the most dominant and influential force in the current age.

Fair or not, Lucifer Liushui’s bloodline power had awakened! Her Demonic Eye of Destruction flowed with brilliant light, and faint crimson demonic patterns surfaced across her forehead. Not only did black wings sprout from the Dark Demon Armor, but the wings themselves possessed a metallic sheen!

The Dark Demon Armor had armored the wings; it truly seemed alive.

"Because..." A faint red glow pulsed on Lucifer Liushui’s brow, her chin lifted slightly, and an ineffable mixture of pride and solemnity shone in her single eye. "The Dark Demon Armor can unlock the bloodline power within me. Noble, mighty Fallen Angel Battle Soul, heed the summons of the Sacred Artifact, the Dark Demon Armor, and awaken from your slumber!"

A massive, beautiful, perfect Fallen Angel Battle Soul rose from Lucifer Liushui’s Golden Dou Heart. Her Battle Soul was female, resembling a magnified version of Lucifer Liushui herself. In her hand, she grasped a black greatsword, forged from condensed Battle Soul power, subtly emanating the flavor of judgment—as if nothing could escape this sword's decree.

Battle Soul! Lucifer Liushui, who had once been near the bottom of the team in terms of combat strength, instantly returned to the true first tier, and her power continued to ascend, ascend, ascend!

Fen Tu Kuangge watched Lucifer Liushui, his face turning ashen, and murmured in a dry, bitter voice, "This is bloodline power... this is the power of a Bloodline Warrior..."

Mune Zhence's expression was equally grim. "Bloodline power truly breeds a sense of powerlessness in the heart. It feels like the Stars’ favor, their exclusive privilege..."

Buzz! The power within Lucifer Liushui emitted the resounding clang of an ancient metal bell, temporarily halting its climb. This surge had brought her Battle Soul to the level of Grade Five.

Though merely a Grade Five Battle Soul, Qian Jin was certain that its formidable might could defeat the Grade Seven Battle Souls of many other bloodline powers.

Once entering the Battle Soul state, the gap in distance and hierarchy became easily apparent, and the advantage of ultimate bloodline power was maximally displayed. Battle Souls derived from bloodline power far surpassed the quality of those from ordinary warriors, and Battle Souls of ultimate bloodline power were indeed stronger than many others derived from mere bloodlines. Only the top geniuses from the Ten Great Bloodline Families could avoid being completely overshadowed by those from ultimate bloodline families at this stage, maintaining a strong capacity for constraint.

"Qian Jin, forge me a battle sword, won't you?" Lucifer Liushui retracted her immense Battle Soul, lightly flicking her wrist. "I feel that if I possess a Soul Weapon battle sword when I enter the Saint realm in the future, it will greatly aid my development."

Qian Jin nodded without hesitation. If bloodline warriors utilized Soul Weapons upon entering the Saint realm, it would undoubtedly grant them greater future potential.

Soul Weapons were not exclusively for ordinary warriors; if bloodline warriors could obtain suitable ones, the benefits would be substantial. However, Soul Weapons appeared exceedingly rarely. Even mighty bloodline warriors could not exhaust their Battle Weapons, yet they could reach sainthood through their inherent bloodline power.

"Holy crap! Sacred Artifacts are too powerful!" Duan Fengbuer grinned wryly. "If you get a few more Sacred Artifacts in your possession, perhaps tomorrow you'll achieve ultimate awakening and sweep across the Human, Demon, and Barbarian realms!"

Lucifer Liushui shot Duan Fengbuer a look: "What are you dreaming about! Among the Fallen Angel Set, only the Dark Demon Armor possesses this capability. Furthermore, it's only effective below Heavenly Extreme Awakening. If you've already reached Earthly Extreme Awakening, obtaining it would be useless."

"I wonder if the Hydra Bloodline Family's Sacred Artifacts possess anything like this?" Duan Fengbuer stroked his chin curiously. "If they have something similar, I absolutely have to try it! This is so enviable. Just moments ago, this little girl was worse off than me, and now in a blink of an eye, she's surpassed me. Such a gap between bloodline powers is unbearable."

"Tch! Such a narrow mind," Lucifer Liushui, in excellent spirits, shot him another look. "When you were stronger than me, I didn't feel envy or jealousy toward you."

Duan Fengbuer stuck out his lip and countered without yielding, "Naturally. If you knew your comrade possessed the Dark Demon Armor, how could you remain calm? Only now do I understand why you gave up such a great training ground like the Ancient Barren Sand Sea to desperately follow your comrade into the Zhence Imperial Dynasty."

A faint blush colored Lucifer Liushui’s cheeks. When she followed Qian Jin into the Zhence Imperial Dynasty, she had indeed harbored the idea of finding an opportunity to reclaim the Dark Demon Armor. But as time passed in his company, she was continuously drawn in by the charm Qian Jin exuded, eventually forgetting her initial objective.

Her seductive plot had not only failed, but she had unknowingly fallen for Qian Jin's charm... Male charm? Lucifer Liushui covertly glanced at Qian Jin. This blockhead hardly counted as handsome! A true handsome man should be like Qie Shuai! But alas... alas...

Lucifer Liushui could only sigh. Yet, she realized she didn't fancy the kind of handsomeness Qie Shuai possessed—the kind that made women have lustful dreams. Instead, she preferred Qian Jin’s looks, which weren't top-tier handsome, but whose body constantly exuded a spirit of forward momentum, vitality, and robust masculinity—a big boy.

"Next time, I'll go ask the Snake Emperor for you," Qian Jin’s statement deflected the conversation from Duan Fengbuer, easing the somewhat awkward situation Lucifer Liushui was in.

Lucifer Liushui glanced at Qian Jin again, a faint, sweet warmth rising in her heart. This big boy hadn't held a grudge against her past intentions and was subtly covering for her now.

"Really? Comrade! You’re the best!" Duan Fengbuer enveloped Qian Jin in a bear hug, seizing him tightly. Before Qian Jin could react or resist, he planted a hard kiss on Qian Jin’s cheek. "Too bad I'm not a woman! Otherwise, I would definitely marry you."

"Give it a rest!" Qian Jin kicked Duan Fengbuer away and wiped the saliva left on his face with the back of his hand. "With your looks, if you turned into a woman..."

"You’d be destined to be an old maid for a lifetime," Che Ke Fulit’s sharp, pointed, and simultaneously provocative voice rang out again. "If the Stars granted you a second life, you’d be an old maid for two lifetimes."

"Damn it!" Duan Fengbuer slapped his backside where Qian Jin’s foot had landed, complaining endlessly. "I'm considered handsome among men, okay? I don't believe it! I won't end up unmarried!"

Fen Tu Kuangge chuckled beside them. Duan Fengbuer was broad-shouldered and slender-waisted, handsome for a man, but if he became a woman, he would definitely be the bulky type. Perhaps only a true 'bear' like Mu Gui Wuxin would find a female version of Duan Fengbuer attractive.

"Enough, he isn't turning into a woman," Qian Jin interjected, covering for Duan Fengbuer. "Now, let’s discuss the specific steps for launching the attack. There is a Demon named Tucha guarding the place..."

"Tucha? A big dark fellow?" Lucifer Liushui asked, pursing her lips.

Qian Jin nodded, looking at Lucifer Liushui, knowing that this Tenth Princess likely possessed more detailed intelligence on Tucha.

"Tucha is one of the rare Dark Serpent Bloodline Demon Warriors," Lucifer Liushui's expression grew serious. "I didn't expect Saerigue could recruit him. I heard that four years ago, he was stuck at the Half-Saint realm and couldn't break through."

Half-Saint! Qian Jin raised an eyebrow. Having interacted with various powerful experts recently, he had gradually learned that there was indeed a group of individuals and Demons who encountered issues upon attempting to enter the Saint realm, leaving them in a state of Half-Saint standing.

They were true powerhouses, superior to all top-tier Battle Soul experts, yet far weaker than those who had successfully entered sainthood.

Fabreidis had also been in a Half-Saint state, but his state allowed him to fly; usually, such cases only required a period of adaptation to achieve true sainthood.

Tucha not only possessed Half-Saint strength but was also a rare Dark Serpent Bloodline Demon Warrior.

The Dark Serpent was rumored to be a colossal black serpent possessing immense power to control water, along with formidable physical strength—strictly speaking, it was a king among serpents.