Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 376 - 268: Old Friends Reunite to Discuss the Dao Again in a Foreign Land (Part 2)

’This is...’

Everyone’s expression changed. These mythical creatures were all strikingly lifelike, not just in appearance, but in their unmistakably authentic spiritual aura. Creating one or two such beings might be possible, but for someone like Huang Tianhu to manifest a dozen or two, all conjured from thin air, was practically impossible.

It was more like he had personally witnessed these creatures, comprehended their life essence, and then, with his ability as a Spiritual Painter, inscribed their auras and condensed them within his own Life Magnetic Field.

"It seems you’ve had quite an extraordinary encounter recently."

Yi Beidou remarked with a sigh.

"Indeed, it was a fortunate opportunity. I don’t know if it was a lost age of Earth or a grand illusion fabricated by our predecessors."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Huang Tianhu’s eyes.

This was the result of his Cultivation during this period.

A few years ago, right after his Ascension, while traveling the world, he had followed an underwater passage in a pool to a secret place. It was shielded from all external perception; if not for a stroke of luck, no one would have ever found it.

And in that grotto, there was a massive mural relief depicting mountains, rivers, and Exotic Beasts.

This mural relief was wonderfully similar to the Cloud Immortal Mountain Spirit Painting of Penglai Immortal Mountain. Simply by touching the relief, one could connect the magnetic field contained within it to one’s own Life Magnetic Field, thereby pulling one’s consciousness into an illusory realm.

In the world of that mural relief, Huang Tianhu witnessed a world of Primordial Mythology completely different from reality.

The mountains and rivers there were strange, and Exotic Beasts ran rampant. Many of these Exotic Beasts could even be traced back to prototypes in ancient legends.

He wasn’t sure if it was a true record of a lost age of Earth or merely a product of the ancients’ condensed imagination.

But regardless, the auras of those various Exotic Beasts were so lifelike that, by observing and learning from them with his abilities as a Spiritual Painter, he gradually integrated their auras into his own Life Magnetic Field, resulting in a massive boost to his power.

ROAR!!

As the Exotic Beasts roared, the mountains and rivers shook. The brilliant Spirit Paintings compressed continuously, finally adhering completely to his skin, forming something like tattoos.

BOOM!!

At that moment, Huang Tianhu’s aura exploded. His body swelled, muscles bulging, and with each breath, a white mist spewed forth. He was like an ancient behemoth reawakening in the modern world.

Ten Thousand Spirits Body, Mythical Form.

Primordial Map!!

BANG!!

With a sonic boom, Huang Tianhu’s figure shot toward Yi Beidou. His arms were spread wide, like a giant bird taking flight, his massive frame displaying incredible speed.

In an instant, Huang Tianhu had already rushed into the area enveloped by Yi Beidou’s Demon Flame.

FWOOSH!!

Yi Beidou’s gaze hardened. He raised the intensity of his Demon Flame to its maximum, only to find that the flames, which could even affect Zhou Qingchen, had little effect on Huang Tianhu.

BUZZ!!

The forms of mythical beasts roared across the surface of Huang Tianhu’s body, isolating him from the Demon Flame’s influence.

Primordial Protection!

In the blink of an eye, Huang Tianhu had weathered the Demon Flame’s influence, rushed to Yi Beidou’s side, and struck out with his palm.

ROAR!!

An Exotic Beast shrieked as a massive head, part ox and part wolf, materialized from Huang Tianhu’s palm. Its blood-red maw gaped open, threatening to Swallow Yi Beidou Whole.

Yi Beidou’s eyes flashed. Without yielding an inch, he met the attack with a palm strike of his own.

BOOM!!

A shockwave erupted with the force of a Thunderstorm. The two stood their ground, the earth beneath their feet sinking, yet neither of them wavered.

’This brutish strength...’

Yi Beidou narrowed his eyes. He could feel that despite being at the Fourth Layer of Reverse Chaos, he was nearly being overpowered in terms of raw strength.

Huang Tianhu’s physical combat ability was already extremely strong; now, having integrated the Mythical Species, he was utterly ferocious.

A glint flickered in Huang Tianhu’s eyes as well. He knew full well that his explosive power had reached the peak of its current stage. ’And yet I still can’t suppress Yi Beidou?’

’If I can’t suppress him even like this, then if we continue fighting, I’ll probably be at a disadvantage very soon.’

After all, Yi Beidou possessed terrifying regenerative abilities and could maintain his body’s peak condition at all times. In contrast, Huang Tianhu’s own injuries would gradually accumulate with each clash, eventually leading to his defeat.

"As expected of the Celestial Demon Body."

Huang Tianhu lamented.

’Even my Mythical Form can’t suppress him in a burst of power. His strength is truly monstrous.’

’And he’s powerful in every aspect—explosive strength, speed, Life Magnetic Field, and more.’

After that single palm strike, Huang Tianhu did not press the attack. He lowered his hands, and the Primordial Map on his body gradually receded and vanished.

This was just a spar between them. A single exchange was enough for them to gauge each other’s strength and know where they stood.

Given their power, if they were to fight without holding back, the commotion would likely attract a great deal of attention, even in this remote manor.

Yi Beidou didn’t insist on continuing, either. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ding Huiyuan, who was standing to the side.

He was quite interested in Ding Huiyuan’s progress. A short while ago, he had just managed to sense everyone’s location, yet this man had been able to lock onto his presence in return. Such a unique mental ability was truly profound.

"Care for a round?"

Yi Beidou said to Ding Huiyuan, and everyone’s eyes fell upon him.

"You’re all monsters. I don’t know any martial techniques. Sparring with you would just be asking for humiliation. I don’t think that’s necessary. Let’s just skip this part and talk about the intel related to the upcoming operation. I’ve found some information this time that should be very useful."

Ding Huiyuan said with a helpless expression, shrugging his shoulders.

"Fine. If you don’t want to fight, then let’s drop it. Forcing someone against their will is never a good thing. You said you have some useful intelligence?"

Hearing this, Yi Beidou nodded slightly.

"This isn’t the place to talk. How about we go inside to discuss it?"

Ding Huiyuan suggested.

Everyone nodded slightly. Discussing secret intelligence related to the upcoming struggle out here in broad daylight was indeed inappropriate.

Even Yi Beidou thought it made sense. He retracted his Demon Flame, and the group prepared to end the sparring and head inside.

But just then, Yi Beidou’s eyes suddenly hardened, and he froze in his tracks.

"Something’s wrong."

Yi Beidou said in a low voice, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Ding Huiyuan.

He had noticed the anomaly.

The problem was that Ding Huiyuan’s words were simply too persuasive.

Everyone was completely following his lead, without offering any real objections.

And within that, there was something that didn’t add up.

For instance, Meng Qianyuan.

Yi Beidou knew his personality well. Having not seen him for months, Meng Qianyuan would have definitely wanted to challenge him to a match. Yet now, Meng Qianyuan had matter-of-factly obeyed Ding Huiyuan’s suggestion, showing none of his usual desire to fight.

One must understand, the personality of a Saint Realm master was not easily changed.

And the source of Meng Qianyuan’s and the others’ uncharacteristic behavior could only be related to Ding Huiyuan.

"You said you wouldn’t spar, but in reality, the match has already begun. The True Word Technique? You’ve influenced our consciousness, achieving a state where your words become law to a certain extent?"

Yi Beidou said in a low voice, staring at Ding Huiyuan.

Previously, Ding Huiyuan’s True Word Technique could only control a person’s physical magnetic field, but now it could actually influence their consciousness to some degree. Even Yi Beidou had almost been deceived by it.

"So you noticed after all."

Ding Huiyuan said, shrugging helplessly.

Beside him, Zhou Qingchen’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Thinking back carefully, she too realized something was off.

When she had first met Ding Huiyuan, she had wanted to test his skills, but he had dissuaded her with a single sentence. At the time, it had seemed perfectly reasonable, but thinking about it now, it was rather out of character for her.

Meng Qianyuan, Huang Tianhu, and the others also had shifting expressions. They had sensed the abnormality from the conversation between the two, and their gazes toward Ding Huiyuan now held a trace of fear.

This "True Word" that could silently influence a person’s thoughts was simply too terrifying.

This guy hadn’t seemed to have changed much on the surface, but no one had expected his hidden technique to be the truly terrifying thing.