Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 128: The Great Trend of the World, All Eyes on Donghua (Part 1)

「A week later.」

「North Suburb of Wen City.」

An oversized off-road vehicle pulled up in front of Yi Beidou’s villa.

The vehicle stopped, its doors opened, and three figures stepped out.

They were none other than Meng Qianyuan, Zhou Baiwei, and Yang Mutong.

The provincial qualifiers for the Martial Hero Conference had successfully concluded across the country, and all three had achieved impressive results.

Meng Qianyuan had advanced to the Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion by taking first place in Kyoto. Both Yang Mutong and Zhou Baiwei had secured third place in their respective qualifiers, just barely earning them a spot to compete in the most intense stage of the Martial Hero Conference.

Next, according to the organizing committee’s schedule, the final stage of the Martial Hero Conference—the national Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion—would be held in Modu in half a month.

The scale of the event was said to far exceed that of the provincial qualifiers.

During this break, they had arranged to return to Yi Beidou’s side. When the time came, they would all travel to Modu together.

Having been away for several months, the three had undergone a clear transformation. Their fierce auras were now tempered with a new stability, and they were beginning to show the bearing of true masters.

Although it wasn’t the final stage of the Martial Hero Conference, they had still made tremendous progress through the competitions.

The grand event was a national spectacle. Competing on stage under the watchful eyes of the public, with the roar of thousands of cheers converging on them, had naturally forged a grand and imposing presence within them.

This was precisely why Wei Cheng and the others had wanted to organize the event.

To act with honor and integrity, to break through the veil of illusion.

Now, the three of them had already gained considerable fame in their respective provinces. They even had to wear sunglasses and masks when they went out, or they would likely run into trouble.

This was especially true for Zhou Baiwei and Yang Mutong. Female Martial Artists were already a rarity, and those who had reached their level were even scarcer. Coupled with their attractive appearances, they naturally drew more attention, and their fame spread far and wide.

Moreover, their fame was no longer confined to their respective provinces. The organizers had officially released the list for the Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion, and busybodies online had quickly compiled detailed profiles on everyone named. For most of the Martial Artists, they even managed to dig up photos and brief highlight reels of their competitions.

Given the current hype surrounding the Martial Hero Conference, the online traffic this generated was naturally staggering.

"I bet Sir will be surprised by our progress and changes when he sees us," Zhou Baiwei said with a smile.

"Compared to Sir, we’re still a long way off," Meng Qianyuan said with a sigh.

He was now truly just one step away from Ascension, but the closer he got to that realm, the more he understood how powerful Yi Beidou truly was.

That realm was practically the limit of the human body. Many Saints spent their entire lives in Cultivation after their Ascension, only ever managing to form a Dharma Body, finding it impossible to advance any further.

But Yi Beidou was different. He had achieved Ascension only a short while ago, yet his strength was constantly and rapidly increasing—something Meng Qianyuan and the others had all witnessed with their own eyes.

For others, Ascension was the end of their Cultivation journey, but for Yi Beidou, it seemed to be merely the beginning.

That was what was truly terrifying.

The three walked toward Yi Beidou’s villa. Finding nothing amiss in the courtyard, they headed for the main hall.

When they saw the scene inside the main hall, all three of them froze.

They saw Yi Beidou sitting cross-legged on the hall floor, enveloped in a layer of tangible, blue-white flames that were visible to the naked eye.

The flames seemed to possess a Demon Nature, giving off an exceptionally malevolent aura. Through their Heart Intent perception, it felt as though the vast space around him was being scorched and distorted by the Demon Flame, as if heaven and earth themselves were trembling before it.

’This is...’

The three exchanged a look, their eyes filled with indescribable shock.

Just then, as if sensing their presence, Yi Beidou opened his eyes.

A flicker of the same Demon Flame seemed to pass through his eyes.

The next moment.

WHOOSH!!

The three of them suddenly felt blue-white Demon Flames ignite on their skin. Evil Qi shot straight into their bodies, a bone-chilling cold that struck terror into their hearts.

The Demon Flame on their bodies was not, of course, a tangible light, but merely an illusion projected by the mind.

But even so, it was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

An ordinary person scorched by this Demon Flame would have their mind instantly overwhelmed by the Evil Qi and collapse. Even a master of the Martial Arts Dao would feel their body grow sluggish and their qi and blood stagnate. If they were unable to shake off the Demon Flame for a prolonged period, it would even affect their Life Magnetic Field, causing their body to become drained and deficient.

Furthermore, the intensity of the Demon Flame was different for each of them. It burned most fiercely on Meng Qianyuan, followed by Yang Mutong, and was weakest on Zhou Baiwei.

This was clearly meant as a test.

HAH!!

The three understood his intent and immediately circulated their qi and blood with all their might. They roused their Physical Ability and spirit, their Heart Intents flaring as they struggled against the blue Demon Flame.

Only after ten full breaths did the Demon Flame gradually dissipate, and the fire in Yi Beidou’s eyes seemed to vanish along with it.

The three let out a deep breath, drenched in cold sweat and feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over them.

They had thought they had improved immensely over the past few months, honed and empowered by the Martial Hero Conference. But they never expected that Yi Beidou’s methods had also become even more profound and unfathomable.

Meng Qianyuan felt this the most keenly.

When he first met Yi Beidou, he had been able to fight him in physical combat. Now, however, despite having improved his own strength immensely, he was left dripping with cold sweat from a single glance.

’How in the world does he do that?’

All three of them couldn’t help but marvel at his power.

"It seems you’ve all made quite a bit of progress. Come on in," Yi Beidou said with a smile.

The three of them quickly entered the hall.

"Sir, what was that technique just now?" Meng Qianyuan couldn’t help but ask.

"A method of creating Harmonized True Qi by borrowing the magnetic field of heaven and earth to temper oneself," Yi Beidou said. "Your master, Wei Cheng, should have similar Dharma Gates. It’s just that the path I walk is different. I don’t use the heavens to refine me; I use myself to refine the heavens."

At his realm, he could understand many things clearly. He knew that when Wei Cheng had fought him, he hadn’t actually used his strongest techniques.

How could a man who had cultivated a body akin to a Buddha’s be an ordinary person? He had to be at least at the realm of Harmonized True Qi.

Meng Qianyuan opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He had heard Wei Cheng speak of methods for strengthening oneself with Harmonized True Qi, but they all required cooperation with the Great Trend of Yin and Yang between heaven and earth. As for this so-called "using myself to refine the heavens," he had never heard of anything like it.

"It seems you’ve all qualified for the Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion," Yi Beidou continued.

"Sir, the Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion will be held in Modu soon," Meng Qianyuan said in a low voice. "Before I left, my master asked me to relay a message. He said that villains will undoubtedly try to cause trouble this time, and he implores you to make a trip to Modu."

"Very well. It will be a good opportunity to see what remarkable individuals this world has to offer," Yi Beidou said, his expression calm.

He had been spending this time digesting the gains from his trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain. The fact that the Demon Flame was now generating on its own meant those gains had been fully assimilated.

It was about time he got out and about again.

Meanwhile, as Donghua hosted the Martial Hero Conference, news of the event had already spread among the upper echelons of various nations and powerful organizations, drawing a great deal of attention.

Countless eyes from around the world were now fixed on the nation of Donghua.

Dark undercurrents surged, ready to make their move.