Chapter 367 Heart-Refining in the Red Dust*
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Raphaelene had been sealed away after being forced to bear a child. That was at least the same fate as Afreya, who had given herself to Aki. But it was likely that Raphaelene would suffer a far worse outcome.
Aki would not allow such a thing to happen.
To solve this dilemma perfectly, he needed the strength to stand against the remaining Ten Core Gods single-handedly.
After all, Chisato Hasegawa was herself a member of the Ten Core Gods; in a sense, this was an internal matter of the Divine Realm. Sirzechs and the others were in no position to intervene, nor did they have any justification to do so.
Unless a war were to break out again—and a war they couldn’t justify at that.
During their first union, Chisato Hasegawa had specifically asked about it before lifting the seal. Aki understood the reasoning behind this, and his response had been clear: while there were traces of a transaction in this affair, the emotions between the two of them were not faked.
Having heard Chisato Hasegawa’s confession, the doubts in Aki’s heart were fully dispelled.
Aside from the slight surprise that the female war god Raphaelene had a penchant for the same s*x, everything else was actually more logical than the plot from the memories he held.
However, if he had not appeared, Chisato Hasegawa would likely have struggled to find a better candidate. To rescue Raphaelene, she would probably have settled for Basara Toujou.
”Chisato, how exactly does one complete the second life transformation?” Aki asked, his voice steady.
Coming back to his senses, Aki realized he had failed to breach the bottleneck. Finally abandoning the idea of taking shortcuts, he asked honestly and directly.
After a dozen minutes of confession, the two had already recovered, and their posture had shifted naturally into an embrace, face-to-face.
Chisato Hasegawa did not answer. Instead, she looked at him with blurred, alluring eyes, guiding Aki’s hand to her own soft, abundant breasts to caress them.
Aki understood the hint immediately. Breaching the God-tier would not happen in an instant, and for a virgin Goddess’s first night, the priority was naturally to achieve full satisfaction.
Moreover, given Chisato Hasegawa’s combat prowess, she would certainly need to rest afterward; that would be the perfect time to chat about breaching the bottleneck.
Time-management master Aki secretly congratulated himself, then reached out to stroke Chisato Hasegawa’s smooth, black hair, whispering, “Chisato, help me out.”
The stunning beauty with the long black hair and grand bust gave him a charming, sidelong glance. She moved slowly, bending over and lowering her head. She parted her rosy, delicate lips, taking his already iron-hard rod into her mouth.
”Nnh…”
Aki groaned comfortably. He loved it when girls performed oral on him.
Not only did her mouth possess a warmth and moisture that rivaled the Flower Valley, but her flexible, nimble tongue brought him intense pleasure.
Chisato Hasegawa was inexperienced at oral arts, yet she was a quick learner.
At first, his rod was occasionally scraped by her teeth, but under Aki’s guidance, it soon became nothing but blissful pleasure.
Chisato Hasegawa even attempted a deep throat, but such a technique, unless one possessed innate talent, could only be mastered with practice. With her strength currently sealed, her first time serving him didn’t quite allow for a full deep throat.
Even so, watching the long-legged beauty with the long black hair kneeling between his thighs, enjoying a steady stream of physical and psychological pleasure, Aki couldn’t hold back for long. A moment later, he exploded inside her mouth.
To Aki’s great surprise, Chisato Hasegawa swallowed every drop of his abundant essence. Afterward, she licked the head clean, finishing with a thorough, seductive polish.
One could only say that as a mature, beautiful woman, she was a natural at certain things, even without instruction.
After spitting out his still-stiff rod, Chisato Hasegawa sat up, facing Aki with that same dignified, composed expression on her face. Yet, the more she acted this way, the more excited Aki became.
A fierce battle was about to erupt once more.
That night, Aki lost track of how long he fought. With the Dual Cultivation Ability, no matter how much they went at it, there would be no ill effects. Chisato Hasegawa’s body was simply magnificent, and combined with the unique temptations of a Goddess, Aki couldn’t bear to let her go even the next day.
Both took leave, and they spent another full day in blissful abandon before Aki finally let Chisato Hasegawa go.
Beyond merely indulging in the Goddess’s sexy, alluring form, he hadn’t forgotten the real objective.
In the intervals, he had pieced together the key to the second life transformation.
The first life transformation means using Mana to reshape the body. Once the body’s strength reaches a certain point and a bottleneck is broken, it is done. It is hard for many people, but for those with natural talent, it is almost effortless. Look at Rias and Sona Sitri. They reached High-Class Devil status at seventeen because they had talent and strong Mana. Letting Mana shape their bodies was easy for them.
If the first was the body, the second was the spirit—or rather, the soul.
One must use Mana… or indeed, any other power, such as Spiritual Power, Qi, or Cursed Power. It didn’t matter. The key was to use a unique energy to strengthen and reshape the soul, to sublimate it.
Just like the body, once a key point was passed, the transformation of life was complete. Then, the body and soul would unite, becoming one, and thus, one reached the God-tier.
The difficulty lay mostly in the first half. Provided one wasn’t a soul-snatcher, the integration of body and soul was only a matter of time; it held no difficulty.
The true obstacle was that the soul was intangible. A Demon King-class existence could perceive it, but even those skilled in mental-type magic dared not claim they fully understood the mysteries of the soul. How to use tangible Mana to nourish and sublimate an intangible soul—that was the problem.
According to Chisato Hasegawa, “The more one attempts to force such a process, the more elusive the result becomes. Mana is an extension of one’s cognition; it is akin to commanding oneself to strike with a blade. Though one knows it will not prove fatal, the instinctual aversion is rarely overcome. It is not an impossibility, merely an extreme difficulty.”
Moreover, overcoming this instinct was only the first step. It didn’t guarantee success, which is why God-tier powerhouses were so rare.
After learning the method, Aki began to try that same day, but as it turned out, it was indeed difficult. If he wanted to complete the soul transformation this way, Aki estimated it would take him over a hundred years. His soul was simply too powerful; the stronger the soul, the harder it was to undergo this kind of “brute force” transformation.
Fortunately, while this method was the most common and simplest, it was not the only way.
Beyond brute force, just as with his first life transformation, one could sense the world and perhaps complete the soul transformation directly. But this was akin to an epiphany—it couldn’t be sought, only encountered. It was pure luck.
Aki didn’t consider his luck bad; in the two years since stepping into the Inner World, he had felt the world once and had one epiphany. But hoping for luck was no better than slowly grinding it out with the first method.
Of the God-tier powerhouses in this world, one-third had great talent and used the first brute-force method. One-third had good luck and attained it through sudden epiphany. The remaining third were like Chisato Hasegawa, who inherited the power of their predecessor to become God-tier.
Thus, Aki finally decided on the last method: Heart-Refining in the Red Dust1.
This method was something of a fusion between the first two: tempering the heart within the world of men, slowly sublimating the soul. If one gained insight, the speed would increase. It possessed the benefits of the first two, but also meant it shared their drawbacks. With good luck, Heart-Refining might take a few years; with bad luck, it could take hundreds.
The method was said to have been passed down from long ago, seemingly related to the now-extinct Immortal Path and the Origin Path. Chisato Hasegawa knew of it, but could not guarantee the effect.
She couldn’t guarantee it, but Aki could. He was certain this method was effective.
From the moment he learned the second life transformation was linked to the spirit and soul, Aki had felt a sense of familiarity. Now, knowing of Heart-Refining in the Red Dust, it finally clicked.
Was this not the so-called “State of Mind”?
When strength was sufficient, to continue breaking through, one’s state of mind had to keep pace. It made perfect sense.
At the same time, Aki vaguely understood where the problem lay with the Martial Way, which had been stuck for so long. If his estimate was correct, stepping into the Immortal Path through the Martial Way was nothing less than the transformation of a mortal into an immortal.
—
Summary:
Aki engages in an intimate encounter with Chisato Hasegawa while simultaneously seeking knowledge on how to achieve his second life transformation. After learning about the inherent difficulties of soul cultivation, he resolves to employ the Heart-Refining in the Red Dust technique. He realizes that his progress is tied to the evolution of his own state of mind.
—
Trivia:
Raphaelene is identified as having a preference for the same s*x, which surprised Aki compared to his original knowledge.
Basara Toujou was the secondary option for Chisato Hasegawa had Aki not emerged as a candidate for her plans.
The cultivation system differentiates between body transformation (first) and soul/spirit transformation (second).
Aki believes that his Martial Way progress is currently hindered by the need to elevate his state of mind to transition from a mortal to an immortal.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Raphaelene – A sealed female war god of god-tier beauty, this main deity was commanded by Heaven to suppress Jin and Sephie. Punished for trying to defy her natural instincts, she was forced into surrogate motherhood. Possessing a same-sex orientation, she is a candidate for Aki’s attention, and her rescue serves as the core motivation behind Basara’s training.
• Afreya – Goddess Chisato is a main deity embodying love, beauty, and desire, transcending the Ten Core Gods. Outwardly a woman who has surrendered herself to Aki, she currently lives under a sealed fate. Despite being apart from the celestial hierarchy, her divine presence and relationships profoundly define the essence of affection and attraction in the world.
• Aki – A tall, handsome transmigrator and King-status devil with a powerful presence and sealed strength. This assertive strategist pursues God-tier power, transitioning to the Immortal Path via the Red Dragon Emperor gauntlet. Residing in a spacious mansion with his supernatural peerage, he dominantly manages a growing harem through dual cultivation, including a fast-paced romance with Hana.
• Chisato Hasegawa – Hasegawa Chisato is the new Kuoh Academy school nurse, secretly the goddess Freya of the Ten Core Gods living under a power seal. Possessing a mature, elegant appearance and magnificent figure, she wears a green knit dress, black miniskirt, and red semi-rimless glasses. She acts as a mentor to Aki while learning to navigate intimacy and maintaining her cover as a human school doctor.
• Hasegawa – Hasegawa Chisato is the new school nurse at Kuoh Academy. She is secretly the goddess Freya, one of the Ten Core Gods, currently living among humans under a power seal. Known for her dignity and magnificent figure, she is often seen in a green knit dress, black miniskirt, and red semi-rimless glasses. She maintains her human cover while serving as the school’s nurse and doctor.
• Sirzechs – Sirzechs Gremory, the red-haired Great Demon King Lucifer and Rias’s brother, is an enigmatic, regal leader of immense power. Constrained by political and divine boundaries within the Divine Realm, this elusive strategist acts as a peace negotiator and guardian. Though restricted from intervening in internal matters, he is willing to aid his ally Aki’s breakthrough via life-and-death combat.
• Chisato – Chisato Hasegawa, a busty, black-haired school doctor at Kuoh Academy, wears a green knit dress, black miniskirt, and red glasses. Secretly the goddess Freya (Afreya), a God-tier individual of the Ten Core Gods with God-faction bloodline, she hides under a power seal. She is Raphaelene’s lover, monitors candidates, and shares a soul contract with Aki, who questions his memories upon her arrival.
• Basara Toujou – Basara Toujou is a pragmatic student and quarter-demon swordsman wielding Brynhildr. Jin’s son, Aki’s brother-in-law, and a candidate for Chisato Hasegawa to rely upon (though less promising than Aki), he was destined to protect Chisato. Alienated by the Hero Clan, he fights for his cousins and the Gremory household, balancing family conflict and mastering his Banishing Shift.
• Basara – Basara Toujou is a pragmatic student and quarter-demon swordsman wielding Brynhildr. Jin’s son, Aki’s brother-in-law, and a candidate for Chisato Hasegawa to rely upon (though less promising than Aki), he was destined to protect Chisato. Alienated by the Hero Clan, he fights for his cousins and the Gremory household, balancing family conflict and mastering his Banishing Shift.
• Toujou – Toujou is the family name of Basara and his father, Jin, representing their formidable strength and combat potential as members of the Hero Clan. The name also refers to their family residence, which is tied to an ongoing conflict. Basara, a powerful individual known to Aki, carries the weight and legacy associated with this name.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• Sona Sitri – Sona Sitri, aka Shitori Sona, is a High-Class, pure-blood devil who became a master strategist at seventeen. As Kuoh Academy’s Student Council president, she wears formal attire and glasses, sporting short black hair and a stern look. Noted for her massive Mana, she tactically leads the Sitri family and manages local supernatural threats while deferring to Rias Gremory.
• Sitri – The prestigious devil hierarchy family name carried by Sona, representing her noble lineage and identity.
• Rias – A beautiful, crimson-haired High-Class Devil who reached her status at seventeen via powerful Mana, she commands the Gremory household and Occult Research Club. Famous for her signature bust and sharp mind, she protects her peerage (Xenovia, Mio, Maria). Living in a large mansion with Aki and other female companions, she is an acquaintance privy to his transmigration, serves as a key advisor guiding his cultivation, and engages in Dual Cultivation with him.
• Sona – As a member of the Student Council who arrives to assist with logistics, this young, analytical woman with long black hair and glasses is the Sitri clan’s future head and Student Council President. Highly intelligent and composed, she uses structured leadership to manage her council and stands alongside Rias as a strategic, noble ally to protect shared interests.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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