While James was busy forging cursed weapons. Mikael had cleanly broken through to the Baron realm. His progress was remarkable, he was truly a reborn cultivator.

~~~

I am still much too weak.

In my previous life I had reached the Redeemer realm. I believe it is equivalent to a Count in the Xertzul Abyss. Ever since I broke through to the Baron realm, I felt my cultivation speed plummet. I am missing something about devilry.

I sought the counsel of my Old Ancestor. I spoke of the problems I was having increasing my devilry while absorbing fel ever since reaching the Baron realm.

"You're only twenty-two years old and already a Baron, isn't that enough? The Baron realm is a realm that shackles many devils. Devil Barons can live up to 1600 years," said Kogthoz.

"We as devils are long-lived compared to lesser races. All cultivators have longer life spans than mortals, but devils are an outlier."

"Where their Baron realm lives 300 years ours lives 1600, you can see why breaking through to an even higher realm would be difficult for us. The transformation from Baron to Viscount is a fundamental change in life level!"

"To bring about this change in life level, a devil must devour many beguiled souls!"

"The only way for a devil to advance after becoming a Baron is to start deviling. Deviling is done by creating your own devil alter and then scrying for a connection to pocket and lower worlds."

"It's a long and drawn-out process as finding the pocket and lower worlds is difficult. They must be fresh and not tainted by the fel of the abyss."

"Once you find a world, you must attempt to beguile mortal souls with your connection to it."

"Generating faith and consuming freshly beguiled mortal souls is how devils breakthrough their devilry bottlenecks. This is the Dao Law of the Abyss."

"Freshly beguiled souls are consumed. We create fel shards and fel stones from the remains of beguiled mortal souls from mortal realms."

"To advance your devilry further, you must learn to beguile mortal souls in pocket and lower worlds that have not been contaminated with the fel of the Abyss. Otherwise devils would raise mortals to be slaughtered like cattle."

"By making these pitiful mortals stray from the reincarnation cycle of their world and give up their soul to you willingly you can receive enlightenment to breakthrough."

"Devil Barons create their own altars and spend most of their closed-door devilry scrying to connect with worlds. Only by slowly absorbing beguiled souls will you break through to the next level of devilry."

"Some foolish mortals will even give you the coordinates to their world. Be warned, they can reveal your True Name while you are scrying through mortal realms."

"Theirs no way to skirt around this, unfortunately. Every devil faces this dilemma when they reach the Baron realm. If we wish to advance, we must exercise caution."

"Deviling is very rewarding though, if you gain a world's coordinates you can conqueror or sell it. Unfortunately conquered worlds no longer provide you with souls that can advance your devilry."

"Here are the instructions on how to form your own devil alter. Once you find a world, you will have to start with mortals. As a Baron you have little power you can offer through the void."

"Your powers will not tempt Esquires and Knights, they might even attempt to entrap you with your True Name. But mortals are easily swayed. By reaching one desperate mortal through his dreams, you can get him to worship you."

"Your reward will depend on the faith you can grasp from that mortal. We classify believers in several ranks."

"Shallow believers, believers who only know of you. True believers, believers who believe in your faith. Devout believers, believers who would live and die by your proclamation."

"Mortals who are having a rough life will easily forsake everything for a bit of power. We have no religions in the Abyss for this very reason, devils feed off the faith of mortals."

"Why would we offer our faith to another devil to have our soul consumed after death?"

"Devils should only have faith in their clans, where they will be venerated after death."

I felt a whole world had opened up to me. I now knew that the Goddess I worshiped in my previous life was probably just a devil. That devil would not want other devils stealing her food. That's why people of my religion hunted and killed devils that encroached on the world.

"Your religion can have whatever rules you believe in, the only thing is for the mortals to be faithful to you and renounce their souls to you at death. They need belief in what you offer them."

"Pocket worlds are regularly invaded but lower worlds are usually just beguiled. To take over one by force is much too difficult. Secretly founding a religion and siphoning souls from the shadows is the way to go."

"Haha, eventually the mortals might even gift wrap the lower world for you after a few generations."

"Thank you Devil Ancestor, you truly have enlightened me. I will work hard not to disappoint you!" I said.

"Work hard in your devilry Mikael, I am interested in appointed you this generation's patriarch. Your leadership skills are very impressive from the reports I have of the Hazel Canopy camp. I don't believe you would let me down."

"Your uncle Samuel is about to enter closed-door devilry to break through to the Viscount realm."

"He would want to devote himself entirely to his devilry for some time. After he breaks through the post will be delegated to you as long as the Elder Council approves."

"I would be honored to hold the post Devil Ancestor!" I said.

"Good, I will send a notification to the Elder Council that I want you to be the next clan patriarch. You should quickly find yourself a bride, people would look down on our Hudson clan if we had an unwed patriarch."

"You're twenty-two, all devils in the Hudson clan must get married by twenty-five and work on producing the next generation," said Kogthoz.

I was shocked, I had never had any romantic interests in my previous life; I was a man that devoted myself entirely to duty. But this was my duty now.

I had an obligation to Fornicate Under Consent of the King… or the Ancestor in this case. I need to go fuca for the clan just doesn't have the same ring to it.

"And look out for that brat James, if someone isn't watching him he will get into all kinds of trouble," said Kogthoz.

"He has been maturing since being exiled to the campgrounds. For the past year he has diligently fulfilled all tasks and stayed headstrong in improving his devilry," I said.

"Good, I knew you could keep him in the proper direction," said Kogthoz.