The crimson sun dipped below the jagged horizon, casting long shadows over the blood-streaked battlefield. Taru stood alone, his diplomatic robes dirtied from the long journey, his hands trembling as he tried to reason with the advancing conqueror. His voice, steady despite the fear, carried the weight of a people pleading for mercy.

  Lu Sang did not hesitate. He had no need for diplomacy, no patience for words that would not change the course of his empire. In a single, fluid motion, he drove his sword through Taru's chest, silencing him before the diplomat could utter another plea. The lifeless body colpsed to the ground, a message to all who thought negotiation could halt the march of conquest.

  The silence that followed was deafening. Lu Sang pulled his sword free, shaking off the blood as he turned away. His soldiers stood at a distance, waiting for the next command. But something felt different. Something lingered in the air—a presence unseen, yet undeniable.

  He returned to his camp, the flickering torchlight casting restless shadows upon the fabric of his tent. As he sat, staring into the polished metal of his sword, his reflection began to twist. The blood of Taru had tainted the world itself, birthing something unholy.

  From the depths of the mirror, a figure emerged—Lu Sang, yet not. His eyes burned crimson, his form cloaked in shadows darker than the void. He bore the same garb Lu Sang had worn before his rise to power—the attire of a man who had killed twenty innocents, forced into service as a general for the queen.

  The Sinful Lu Sang smirked, his voice a whisper of malice. "Orders, General?"

  A chill ran down Lu Sang’s spine. Before he could respond, the tent fps rustled, and the air grew heavy with an unseen force. A voice, rich with command, filled the space—Pan Lian, the Queen of the Fanism Empire, her words carried from afar.

  "Siege the nearest city. Leave nothing but ruin in your wake."

  The Sinful Lu Sang grinned, his presence fading like smoke in the wind. But before vanishing completely, he whispered the command into Lu Sang’s ear, his voice crawling into the general’s very soul.

  The march began at dawn. For seven days and nights, Lu Sang’s army pushed forward, enduring relentless ambushes from swift and deadly horsemen. The enemy struck from the shadows, cutting down thousands before vanishing like ghosts into the wilderness. By the sixth day, only 90,000 of his 100,000 troops remained. Blood soaked the nd, and the cries of the wounded echoed through the forests.

  Desperation forced Lu Sang’s forces to retaliate with devastation. Fire engulfed the trees as 10% of the forest was burned to deny the enemy their cover. The fmes cwed at the heavens, turning night into a hellish dawn. When the smoke cleared, the city of Anu stood before them, its towering walls defiant against the tide of war.

  Anu, the city of the god Anu, was filled with faithful worshippers who now faced the wrath of Lu Sang’s army. The siege began, catapults hurling stones and fire over the walls, shattering homes and temples alike. The cries of innocents filled the air, mixing with the battle roars of soldiers cshing steel against steel.

  Something stirred within Lu Sang. A darkness grew, feeding off the bloodshed and suffering. The screams, the sughter—it awakened a power within him. His body trembled as a surge of energy coursed through his veins. A notification flickered in his mind: Sexual Points changed to Sin Points Gained: 150,000.

  With 10,000 enemy soldiers and 140,000 locals sin, he felt the weight of sin settle upon his soul. A twisted hunger whispered in his mind, urging him to grow stronger. The Great Sage of Cultivation revealed the path before him: Sin Cultivation.

  Lu Sang consumed 100,000 Sin Points, his mortal cultivation shattering its limits. His strength surged as he ascended through the ranks:

  Mortal Level → Enlightened Mortal Level changed to Lesser Demon Form Spiritual Power 500

  Enlightened Mortal Level → Spiritual Mortal Level changed to Greater Demon Form Spiritual Power 30,000

  Spiritual Mortal Level → Foundation Spirit Level changed to Arch demon Spiritual Powe 300,000

  His spiritual power skyrocketed, pushing past 500,000. But the more he embraced sin, the more his form began to shift. His reflection in his bde no longer showed the man he once was—it showed the beginning of something far worse.

  A presence loomed behind him. The Sinful Lu Sang, now more real than ever, whispered, "Embrace it, General. The path to power is paved with sin."

  The battle raged on, but for Lu Sang, a new war had just begun. A war not just for the city—but for his very soul.

  The war to retake Anu raged for two weeks. The city's reinforcements are arriving, bolstered by the faith of Anu's worshippers and the arrival of 120,000 reinforcements from the Inlo Kingdom, fought with fanatical determination. These reinforcements consisted mostly of well-armed vilgers—80% of whom were war veterans from the first border war, now returning to battle with vengeance burning in their hearts.

  Pan Lian, ever the strategist, had foreseen the long conflict ahead. She supplied Lu Sang’s army with one million tons of food—enough to sustain them for twelve months of siege warfare. The invaders never knew hunger, while inside Anu, rationing became a desperate necessity.

  Within the battered city, General Lu Samg, a hardened veteran, led the defense with unwavering resolve. His scarred hands gripped his sword tightly as he surveyed the ruined battlements. The defenders were seasoned warriors, but the endless waves of Inlo kingdom's army tested even their limits.

  As the days dragged on, supply lines ran thin. The faith of Anu’s worshippers held firm, but faith alone could not fill empty stomachs. By the fourteenth day, Lu sang night attack cracked the defense line that had formed outside of Anu’s defenses. Lu Sang stood before his gathered commanders, his form now altered by the dark power he had embraced. His skin darkened with sin’s corruption, his eyes burning crimson with demonic energy. The Sinful Lu Sang lingered beside him, a phantom only he could see, whispering strategies ced with malice.

  “The Inlo kingdom will fall soon,” Lu Sang decred, his voice carrying an unnatural weight. “But we will not wait for them to wither. The final blow must come at dawn.”

  His commanders exchanged gnces, wary of his transformation but obedient nonetheless. As the first light of the fifteenth day crept over the horizon, the assault began. Catapults rained destruction upon the outer siege lines, forcing the attackers to retreat into the forest. Demonic energy surged through Lu Sang’s veins as he led the charge himself, his bde cutting through seasoned warriors as though they were wheat before the scythe.

  General Qin Bao met him at the gates of the forest. Their bdes cshed, sparks flying in the dawn light. Qin Bao’s strength was immense, his years of battle experience making him a formidable foe. But Lu Sang was no longer human. With each strike, sin-fueled power coursed through him, overwhelming even a veteran of the first border war.

  A single decisive blow sent Qin Bao sprawling. Blood pooled beneath him as he struggled to rise, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You… are no man,” he rasped. “You are something far worse.”

  Lu Sang gazed down at the dying warrior, his expression unreadable. “Then pray to your god,” he murmured before driving his sword through the old soldier’s heart.

  With Qin Bao’s fall, Anu’s resistance crumbled. The gates were thrown open, and the conqueror’s forces poured in like a flood. The streets ran red, and the screams of the innocent rose to the heavens. The Great Sage of Cultivation’s voice echoed in Lu Sang’s mind once more:

  Sin Points Gained: 300,000

  Lu Sang did not hesitate. He consumed another 250,000 Sin Points, feeling his form evolve once more:

  Foundation Spirit Level → Nascent Demon LordSpiritual Power: 1,200,000

  His body surged with newfound strength, and the Sinful Lu Sang grinned, his presence growing stronger. “You are almost ready,” the phantom whispered. “One more step, and you shall ascend beyond all.”

  Lu Sang turned and ordered his army to burn what was left of the city, his gaze lingering on the crumbling temples of Anu. A thought flickered through his mind—was there truly no turning back?

  But the hunger for power drowned out the doubt. With a wave of his hand, he gave the final command.

  “Burn the forest.”