Chapter 818: 万劫邪婴

The red light in Jasmine’s hand vanished after her long moment of shock, yet in the absolute darkness of the Demon Moon Cave, the outline of a pitch-black wheel was still clearly imprinted in her pupils.

Its body was jet-black, but perhaps its existence transcended “darkness,” remaining perfectly visible even in absolute obscurity. It was like an open demon’s eye at the bottom of an endless abyss.

Jasmine had never imagined that she would one day behold the most terrifying, most improbable image from her memories. The fear she carried, almost all of it, was concentrated on this image and its name.

The Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel!

It was conceived from the ultimate negative power at the dawn of the Primordial Chaos, possessing supreme yin and evil strength, a terrifying entity that even gods and devils mentioned with dread.

Though it ranked among the “Heavenly Profound Treasures,” it was no mere object but the most fearsome existence in the Primordial Chaos. While it was listed second among the Heavenly Profound Treasures, it and the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword were born simultaneously as two polar forces. In terms of destructive capability, it was certainly no less powerful than the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword. However, the Ancestral Sword’s power attribute was supreme sanctity, while the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s was supreme evil, thus it was ranked after the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword.

Its last appearance saw its power run wild, releasing “Myriad Tribulations No Life,” the Primordial World’s most dreadful poison, which annihilated gods and devils, leading to the extinction and conclusion of the Divine Devil Era.

Its might and terror were simply beyond the comprehension and imagination of any living being currently in the world.

After the Divine Devil Era ended, it, like the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, never reappeared. Yet, over the past million years, people never gave up searching for the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, hoping to gain its invincible "Heaven Punishing" power. However, no one ever attempted to seek out the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, for it would only bring the world's most terrifying calamities.

And now, this terrifying entity, which had vanished for a million years, lay clearly before Jasmine’s eyes. No one could have imagined that in the vast chaos, it would hide in such a place.

Even true gods would experience extreme fear upon seeing it, let alone Jasmine, who had only inherited a fraction of a true god’s power. And in the true god memories she inherited, everything about the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, apart from its appearance and aura, was cold dread.

It was as if seeing it meant seeing the deepest hell.

Jasmine had never been frozen in shock for so long, but after a prolonged period, her will finally suppressed the immense, frantic fear—because although it was the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, its aura was simply too weak.

It was so weak that it was far inferior to even her current, incomplete power aura.

Otherwise, it would not have remained in this Demon Moon Cave all this time.

Having suppressed her fear, Jasmine’s eyes gradually returned to calm and coldness. Her footsteps moved forward again, one step… two steps… gradually approaching the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel.

As she drew closer, the oppressive force emanating from the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel paradoxically diminished rapidly.

“Hmph,” Jasmine scoffed coldly, a sneer twisting her lips, as if mocking, “An artifact that originated at the dawn of Primordial Chaos and brought an end to the Divine Devil Era, has now fallen to such a dismal state that even a mere human like me can easily break free from your deterrence!”

From her initial extreme shock to her calm composure, and by connecting it with everything that had happened in the Demon Moon Cave, she instantly understood why the Demon Monarch had survived since the era of divine-devil extinction. All her questions about the Demon Monarch were finally answered.

No matter how powerful the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel was, it was, after all, an artifact, not a spirit. To unleash its full power, it needed a living being as its vessel. While ordinary artifacts might possess strong sentience and power, they were generally controlled by living beings. But the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, in terms of both its level and power, was far too formidable; it could, conversely, control living beings… even devils!

And the Demon Monarch was the vessel chosen by the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel—or rather, its host!

A million years ago, pushed to desperation, the devils, in their madness, unsealed the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, allowing it to reappear. Having been sealed for too long, the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel had accumulated endless negative energy. Upon breaking free, its power immediately went berserk. It seized the Demon Monarch as its vessel, unleashing world-destroying power and the god-and-devil-annihilating “Myriad Tribulations No Life.” The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, the only entity that could have countered it, remained missing, ultimately leading to the demise of all gods and devils.

And because the Demon Monarch was the vessel controlled by the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, he naturally survived.

This also explained why the Demon Monarch said he personally killed his son to save him, sealing his devil soul into the Everlasting Night Demon Sword—because the Demon Monarch’s sword was born with him, and under the destructive power of the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, only this method could preserve his son’s devil soul!

After annihilating all gods and devils, the power of the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel greatly diminished… possibly even nearing depletion. However, among the gods and devils, besides the Demon Monarch, another god survived—the Heretic God, who had been poisoned by “Myriad Tribulations No Life” but did not immediately perish.

Although the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s power had greatly waned, the Heretic God was still unable to destroy it, and there was nothing in this world that could destroy the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel. As the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s host, the Heretic God likewise could not kill the Demon Monarch. Therefore, all the Heretic God could do was use all his remaining power to seal the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel along with the Demon Monarch, hoping that through the prolonged sealing, the Demon Monarch’s existence would be extinguished.

This was why the Demon Monarch was sealed by the Heretic God for a million years instead of being directly slain by him back then. It wasn’t that the Heretic God didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t!

The sealing location was the Profound Sky Continent on this inconspicuous Blue Pole Star in the vast chaos!

The seal set by the Heretic God was not merely a confinement; it also possessed an extremely powerful corrosive force. Over a million years of sealing, the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel continuously endured the erosion of the Heretic God’s power. Its already depleted strength was further annihilated, even causing it to lose its ability to control the Demon Monarch, making the Demon Monarch no longer its host but an independent entity.

This explained why the Demon Monarch had suddenly exclaimed, “The Heretic God’s seal destroyed this king’s devil body and devil soul, but it also finally granted this king freedom”…

No longer the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s host, the Demon Monarch naturally lost its protection and likewise endured the erosion of the Heretic God’s sealing power. This ultimately led to severe damage to his life and soul sources, and his contract with the Demon Moon Sword was severed, making the Demon Moon Sword, which contained his son’s devil soul, an independent entity as well.

Finally, ten thousand years ago, the Heretic God’s seal power was exhausted, liberating the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, the Demon Monarch, and the Demon Moon Sword. However, having endured a million years of corrosion from the Heretic God’s seal, the Demon Monarch’s life soul was exceedingly weak and should have perished completely not long after. Fortunately, he was discovered by the Ancestor of the Supreme Ocean Palace, who sealed him within the Demon Moon Cave. There, confined by the Supreme Ocean Palace, he survived by absorbing the dark aura released by the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel and the Nirvana Devil Flowers it nurtured, until he was ultimately killed by Yun Che.

The Demon Moon Sword drifted to the Profound Sky Continent, establishing the Everlasting Night Royal Family. Even the faint residual seal upon it was lifted during today’s Devil Sword Convention. However, although the devil soul within had not completely dissipated, it had become pitifully weak.

As for the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, after its seal was lifted, it remained in this place, slowly emitting an extremely high-level yet incredibly faint dark aura.

Once capable of annihilating gods and slaying devils, it had now fallen to such a pathetic state, confined to this dark and desolate place, never again seeing the light of day.

Previously, the Demon Monarch’s story was Jasmine’s greatest surprise and source of confusion. Now, upon seeing the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, all her doubts were resolved without any other contributing factors.

Because these were the only reasons, the only explanation!

Yet, the true reasons behind all this were far more terrifying than any possibility Jasmine had previously imagined… for it involved the most dreadful entity in the chaotic world.

Jasmine’s steps halted, and she stood before the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, her pupils reflecting its abyss-like black light. She slowly murmured, “Since the end of the Age of Gods, countless people have speculated about the whereabouts of the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, and innumerable others have tried to discover what the Heretic God did before his demise. I never thought I would become the first person in this world to know the answer.”

Jasmine slowly raised her hands, a deep red light silently coalescing in her palms. “The Golden Crow Soul Spirit said this was the first star the Heretic God created, and also where he ultimately fell. I once wondered why this planet, personally created and clearly highly valued by the Heretic God, had such sparse elemental energy and such low profound energy levels. It turns out the root of everything is right here!”

“It was to ensure that even if you were to escape your seal one day, in this world of sparse energy density and low profound levels, you would never have the chance to quickly recover your power. The Heretic God truly had painstaking intentions.”

“The Heretic God couldn’t destroy you, and I certainly can’t either. But… with my current power, sealing you in your present state is effortless!”

Jasmine’s face darkened, the red light in her hands as deep as congealed blood. “Unleashing all my power can seal you for at least three to four millennia!”

“*Ying*…”

The black light on the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel flickered. Suddenly, a soft, high-pitched voice, seemingly laced with grievance, sorrow, and pleading, echoed in Jasmine’s mind. It sounded like an infant, crying helplessly.

“Please… save me…”

A tender voice, filled with heartbreaking sadness, pleaded softly… The short words were hesitant and awkward, and combined with the extremely childlike timbre, it sounded like an infant who had just learned to babble.

Jasmine’s brow furrowed, her body stiffened slightly. She immediately said with a cold face, “I never thought the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, which gods and devils alike feared, would actually beg a weak human like me!”

“Please… save me… take me… away from here…”

The infant’s voice carried a deeper plea, and faint hints of a sob.

“Save you?” Jasmine sneered. “Only if I’m mad. You are the most terrifying, most evil, and most unbearable existence in this world! Back then, even powerful gods and devils were slaughtered by you. If I take you away and allow you to find a chance to regain your power, the world will surely fall into eternal damnation because of you once more! Not to mention me, even the most wicked person in this world, knowing you are the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, would undoubtedly spare no effort to seal you, and never choose to bring you back into the light of day!”

“No…” The infant’s voice grew even more sorrowful and tearful. “I’m not that evil… I’m not a… bad child… I just… want to leave here… It’s so dark here, so cold, always so quiet…”

The voice of the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel naturally brought to mind the image of a tender infant. Its helpless and sorrowful plea was enough to evoke deep pity even in hearts of stone. But Jasmine remained unmoved. “You needn’t try to bewitch me any longer. The Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel originated at the dawn of Primordial Chaos, born from the most extreme negative power in the heart of chaos, inherently symbolizing ultimate evil power. A million years ago, the moment you broke free from your shackles, you annihilated all gods and devils, destroying an entire era! And now you tell me you’re not a ‘bad child’? Hah, how ridiculous.”

“…That’s just my power attribute. Power attributes have positive and negative, but they don’t distinguish between sacred and evil. The reason I killed them back then… was because… they imprisoned me… for so many years… What I feared most… was darkness and loneliness… So, I hated them… and killed them… so no one could ever again drag me into a world of darkness and loneliness…”

A slight flicker of emotion crossed Jasmine’s face. Her will had constantly warned her that the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s voice must conceal malicious and evil deception, yet this time, the voice deeply stirred her heart.

The anger, fear, and grievance it conveyed felt incredibly genuine, preventing her from detecting any falsehood. Only the most genuine emotions could truly move a person. When it spoke of killing all gods and devils, the feeling it gave Jasmine was like that of a bullied child, angrily and petulantly retaliating against those who had harmed, angered, and frightened it.

No sooner had these thoughts arisen than she was sharply startled, swiftly banishing them from her mind. With a cold laugh, she said, “You bear the name ‘Evil Infant,’ and you truly think I’d be foolish enough to believe your soul is just an infant? You are the most evil thing in this world; don’t waste your efforts! I will immediately re-seal you, and from now on, every millennium, I will return here to reinforce the seal. Even if I die, before my death, I will choose someone to inherit the mission of continuously sealing you, so that your wicked existence can never again see the light of day!”

“*Ying*…”

The infant’s voice began to weep, crying with exceptional sadness and heartbreak. It whimpered, “Why… won’t you believe me… then… I…”

A strange black mist surged forth before Jasmine. Within the black mist, the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel transformed into an eerie black light, suddenly drilling into Jasmine’s glabella.

Jasmine raised her left hand, and on the back of her hand, a small, faint black wheel mark slowly appeared.

Staring at the black wheel mark on the back of her hand, Jasmine sneered dismissively. “Do you think you’re the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel that massacred gods and devils back then?! With your current power, you dare to attempt to make me your host?! Doing this just makes it easier for me to seal you!”

As she sneered, Jasmine began to concentrate her power, intending to forcibly expel the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel.

“I… I didn’t mean to…” The infant’s voice responded nervously and hurriedly. “As long as… as long as you are willing to take me away… let me leave this darkness and loneliness… I am willing… to submit to you…”

“Submit… to me?” Jasmine paused slightly, then coldly retorted, “Ridiculous! You are the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, ranked alongside the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword as the highest-level existence in the entire chaotic world! Even gods cannot control you, so how could you possibly submit to a human?”

“As long as… you can take me to the outside world… where there’s no more darkness and loneliness… then… you will be my master… If you’re afraid of my power… then… after you become my master… you will never… need to worry… that my power will harm you…”

“Hmph, that’s just wishful thinking on your part. Did I say I agreed?” Jasmine swept her small hand sideways, and the red light she had previously gathered slowly floated before her. “You should continue to obediently remain in eternal darkness…”

Jasmine lowered her palm, preparing to force out the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel and then forcibly seal it. But halfway through turning her hand, she suddenly paused, her expression subtly changing.

After a long silence, she slowly retracted her hand, dispersing the red light that had been coalescing for so long and contained terrifying power. She raised her left hand, stating with a rigid expression, “If you recognize me as your master, then everything about you will be under my control from now on. I can keep you with me, but I will never summon you out. Even so, are you willing?”

Jasmine’s words made the infant’s voice grow excited and joyful. “As long as… as long as I am no longer confined in darkness and loneliness… I will… definitely obey you…”

No one would believe such a voice belonged to the world’s most terrifying and evil Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel; it was merely a child’s most humble and pitiful plea.

Jasmine’s expression and posture froze. After a prolonged period of difficult hesitation, she finally, slowly and heavily, nodded. “Alright… If that is the case, then let us establish the most cruel master-servant contract. I am the master, you are the servant. Unless I deliberately release it, you will be under my control for all eternity, and you can never betray me! This is the only way! You either accept, or I will seal you again!”

As her cold, merciless voice fell, a red light flashed between Jasmine’s brows, and the power of a contract enveloped the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel. Moreover, it was the Star God Realm’s most cruel master-servant contract.

To Jasmine’s astonishment, the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel showed no hesitation or resistance. Instead, it accepted the contract with immense joy and excitement, like a small bird flying out of its cage.

A black light instantly flashed in Jasmine’s pupils. Following this, the pitch-black wheel on the back of her left hand deepened immensely. After several flashes, it slowly disappeared again.

“From now on, you are no longer the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel that can punish gods and slay devils, but an artifact belonging solely to me, with me as your master!”

Jasmine spoke these words with particular solemnity and strictness, but her gaze was somewhat uncertain.

She had not expected that a cruel contract, one that even the most humble mortal could not accept, would so smoothly “enslave” the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel—a terrifying existence that even gods feared.

To encounter the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel here and then become its master… It all felt like the most absurd illusion.

What was even stranger was that from the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, aside from the initial fear it triggered from her Star God memories and impressions, what she felt was not gloom, terror, or evil, but more pity, helplessness, and sadness.

Was all this merely an illusion, or… was the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel truly just a childish infant?

An infant so childish it killed all gods and devils out of anger, and so childish it would pay any price to escape darkness and loneliness, even transforming from an existence transcending gods and devils into a human’s servant.

“Yes, Master.” The infant’s voice responded respectfully, without a trace of humiliation or reluctance, only joy at the prospect of leaving darkness and loneliness.

Jasmine’s sudden change of heart stemmed from her realization: the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel was willing to go to such lengths for freedom, behaving this way towards her, and it would surely do the same for others. If it fell into other hands, there would be no predicting the consequences. And it was the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel; once its power was awakened, it would be an unimaginable and uncontrollable catastrophe.

But if it was truly willing to submit, then submitting to her and being controlled by her would eliminate the worry of it one day falling into the hands of foolish or malicious individuals. It would also ensure it never reappeared in the world.

Jasmine took a deep breath, calming her mind. “Remember what I said earlier. You can see the outside world with me from now on, and you will never be lonely again. But I will also never summon you out! You must understand that if the world ever learns I am the master of the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel, I will immediately become the enemy of the entire chaotic world!”

“Mm, I will always listen to Master.” The voice was tender and high-pitched, like a well-behaved child.

“Good, now tell me, what object or method can reawaken your power?” Jasmine asked coldly. She wasn't asking to try and restore the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel’s power. On the contrary, it was to avoid all possibilities!

“I now belong only to Master. Only Master can influence my power. Master’s anger, resentment, killing intent, bloodlust, hatred, jealousy, evil… these negative emotions will make me grow. Especially if Master’s negative emotions suddenly intensify to a certain critical point, it could reawaken my power, you know.”

The Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel answered without reservation.

Jasmine secretly relaxed, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Then it’s a pity, your power will never reawaken.”

“Now, as you wish, I will take you away from here. From now on, if you are even slightly disobedient, I will immediately seal you back into darkness and loneliness!” Jasmine stated sternly. But she also knew that with that cruel master-servant contract in place, the Evil Infant’s Annihilation Wheel couldn’t disobey even if it wanted to.