Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 156 - 154: Breaking a 10-Li Barrier, Lying in Wait for the True Enemy

Meanwhile, under the gazes of the crowd, Zhou Qingchen—who seemed like a Fallen Immortal’s Descent—ran across the water’s surface. Treading on the waves, she vaulted over the riverside railing in a single leap, landing back on the street in front of a tall young man.

"How was it?"

Zhou Qingchen asked, gazing at Yi Beidou.

Her body had a jade-like quality, and her Pure Qi was overwhelming. Standing before her, Zhou Baiwei and Yang Mutong felt as if their bodies and spirits were being pierced by a sharp sword. Even a Semi-Saint like Meng Qianyuan felt the hair on his body stand on end, his mind tensing involuntarily.

Only by standing directly in front of Zhou Qingchen could one truly feel how terrifying her threatening aura was.

From a distance, she looked like an Immortal; up close, she was an out-and-out God of Slaughter.

Meng Qianyuan could still endure it, but Zhou Baiwei couldn’t help but take several steps back to create some distance. Yang Mutong, however, bit her lip and held her ground, refusing to retreat. Large beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead, and her clothes were instantly soaked in a cold sweat.

"Not bad."

Yi Beidou said, watching Zhou Qingchen with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

But in the next moment...

BOOM!!

The surrounding sky suddenly dimmed. One by one, the stars of the Big Dipper lit up rapidly, and rays of starlight shot out from beneath the clothes on Yi Beidou’s chest.

FWOOSH!!

Then, a searing Demon Flame erupted from the surface of his body.

The crowd on the banks of the Shen Jiang was still cheering, watching Zhou Qingchen’s every move. It was already a bit strange to see her run toward a man, but the astonishing phenomenon appearing on Yi Beidou’s body made them gasp in shock.

"Who is that?! Why is he burning with blue flames?! Is he another expert who has achieved Body Ascension?!"

"Is he friend or foe? He looks like one of us Donghua People, doesn’t he?"

...

The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.

"I know! It looks like that Mr. Yi! He’s another Saint Expert from Donghua. I think he had a duel with a foreign Martial Artist today, too. Why is he here?"

"I just got the news! Mr. Yi just defeated the Saint Martial Artist from the Starry Sky Country and came away unscathed, so he rushed over here to watch the fight!"

...

Some fans checked for related information and immediately found something. They couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, and the eyes of many onlookers lit up.

At the same time, seeing this scene, the flames of gossip in their hearts began to burn fiercely.

This Mr. Yi finished his battle and immediately came to watch, and this Valkyrie finished her battle and immediately came to find him. Could the two of them...

What kind of immortal power couple is this?!

Instantly, some of the gawking onlookers had already started "shipping" them as a couple in their minds.

’This is the best ship ever!’

The reality, however, was completely different from what the crowd imagined.

"Not bad, not bad. But you were a little too reckless."

Yi Beidou said softly. At this moment, with Seven Stars Appearing Together and his Demon Flame Protection active, he suddenly reached out and pointed a finger toward Zhou Qingchen’s chest.

The searing Demon Flame burned at his fingertip, and his True Intent pierced into the major acupoint on Zhou Qingchen’s chest like a needle.

Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle!

Yi Beidou could already see that while Zhou Qingchen’s current state seemed as resplendent as an Immortal’s, her internal condition was actually extremely dangerous.

That Secret Technique, which resembled ascending to immortality, was derived from the Shattering Pill Method of the Dragon and Tiger Elixir Dao. It was a Jade and Stone Shattering technique used during Corpse Dissolution to sublimate one’s being to the absolute limit. After using it, one’s Primordial Qi would be completely exhausted, and the body would die within a short time.

Although Zhou Qingchen had combined it with her own constitution and techniques to initially remove the fatal aspect and reduce the technique’s risk, she had not yet fully mastered this state. After using it, her body’s Life Magnetic Field would be severely affected.

The moment she deactivated the state, she would be gravely injured by the resulting chaos in her Life Magnetic Field.

It could even be life-threatening.

And now, Yi Beidou was using the Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle, enhanced by his Demon Flame in his Seven Stars Appear Together state, to intervene in Zhou Qingchen’s Life Magnetic Field with his own power and help her stabilize her condition.

Zhou Qingchen seemed to understand what Yi Beidou was trying to do. She showed no signs of resistance, allowing him to proceed.

Soon, after seven taps of his finger, seven star-like points burning with Demon Flame were left on Zhou Qingchen’s chest.

"This is all I can do for now," Yi Beidou said. "Zhu Zi’Er, do you have any tricks up your sleeve?"

THUD.

A young girl chewing on a lollipop jumped down from a fifth-floor window of a nearby building.

Zhu Zi’Er loved to wander around, running all over the city. A short while ago, she had watched his duel with Yuri, and then followed him all the way here.

She didn’t say much, just reached into her waist pouch, pulled out a lollipop wrapped in wax paper, and tossed it to Zhou Qingchen.

Zhou Qingchen didn’t hesitate. She unwrapped the wax paper and, in one bite, crunched up the blood-red lollipop and swallowed it.

"You’re just too reckless."

Zhu Zi’Er shook her head helplessly, walked to Zhou Qingchen’s side, and took one of her jade-like hands.

"I’m afraid I can’t handle this alone. Give me your hand. You two hold hands as well."

Then, she held out her other hand to Yi Beidou.

Yi Beidou, not suspecting a thing, gave his hand to Zhu Zi’Er while taking Zhou Qingchen’s hand with his other.

The three of them held hands, forming a circle.

VMMMM!!

Purple qi emerged from around Zhu Zi’Er’s body. A magnetic field slowly spread out, seeming to act as some kind of medium, creating a wondrous connection between the three’s Life Magnetic Fields.

Pure Qi, Demon Flame, and purple light seemed to briefly mix together.

"Disengage the state now."

Zhu Zi’Er’s expression was quite grave as she spoke to Zhou Qingchen in a low voice.

Zhou Qingchen nodded slightly and deactivated the Ascension Technique state.

The pure radiance faded. Her skin reverted from its jade-like quality back to its fair color, but it was now incredibly pale. Her entire aura plummeted like a deflating balloon. Intense pain wracked her body, and her Life Magnetic Field fell into severe disarray.

Bright red blood seeped from the pores all over her body, a horrifying sight to behold.

Meanwhile, the auras of both Yi Beidou and Zhu Zi’Er trembled violently.

Zhu Zi’Er had used some sort of method to temporarily link their three Life Magnetic Fields. Although it couldn’t completely distribute the impact of Zhou Qingchen’s injuries, it undoubtedly dampened the fluctuations in her Life Magnetic Field and reduced the severity of her wounds.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for Zhou Qingchen to still be standing here now.

’This girl’s Combat Power isn’t particularly high, but her various secret techniques are endless and cannot be underestimated.’

DRIP.

Blood trickled from Zhu Zi’Er’s nose. Clearly, accomplishing this was no easy feat.

Yi Beidou, in contrast, appeared quite calm, showing no abnormalities.

’What a monster.’

Zhu Zi’Er grumbled to herself. ’This guy’s Life Magnetic Field is terrifyingly stable. If he hadn’t willingly lowered his defenses, I wouldn’t have been able to affect it in the slightest.’

’He’s getting more and more ridiculous. Does his strength increase as easily as eating and drinking? As I thought, it’s much more relaxing to go back to Miaojiang and bully my little sister.’

"Thank you. I owe you both a favor."

Although her entire body ached and she was extremely weak, Zhou Qingchen still stood ramrod straight.

Without Yi Beidou and Zhu Zi’Er’s intervention, her current situation would be unimaginable.

"You won’t be able to participate in the upcoming battles. Rest and recuperate well."

Zhu Zi’Er said, shaking her head and wiping away the blood trickling from her nostrils.

"Then, I’ll leave the most troublesome one to you."

Zhou Qingchen said, looking at Yi Beidou.

Among the Starry Sky Country’s trio of Saints—Sea, Land, and Air—the one known as "Sky," whose whereabouts were unknown and who had yet to make a move, was the most troublesome of the three.

「Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Central Mansion.」

Devi’s eyes were tightly shut, yet he had seen the entire scene unfold.

"Yuri was defeated on land, and in the way he prided himself on most."

"Even Ulysses was beaten on the water by his opponent."

"Donghua’s Saint Realm is quite interesting indeed. It seems my turn to act will be coming soon."

Devi said with a smile.

His consciousness shifted. He closed his eyes again, turning his attention to two other auras.

An image appeared in his mind.

It was a public square. A tall young man with the ethnic features of the Pusaka Country was unleashing a chain of attacks on a man with disheveled hair, a beard, and a wild, unrestrained demeanor.

Aduvan, the "Silent Heaven" of Pusaka Country, and Ding Huiyuan.

’This should be the last battle of the day.’

At this moment, Ding Huiyuan was being forced to leap and dodge by Aduvan’s storm-like attacks, and his defensive posture looked extremely clumsy.

This sparked a lot of discussion among the spectators.

’Is this really a Saint Expert from Donghua? How can he only run around like a cornered rat? Seriously?!’

"Hmm?"

But just then, Devi’s brow twitched.

Just as he was observing Ding Huiyuan, the man actually seemed to sense something and looked in his direction.

Devi saw clearly that, at this very moment, a Buddhist Swastika seemed to be spinning in reverse within Ding Huiyuan’s eyes.

In that instant, those eyes seemed to pierce through heavy fog and cross a distance of more than ten kilometers to meet his gaze.

The feeling of being locked onto washed over Devi.

At the same time, he saw Ding Huiyuan’s lips move silently.

Although there was no sound, a man of Devi’s caliber immediately read Ding Huiyuan’s lips.

"Found you."

Those were the words Ding Huiyuan had for him from over ten kilometers away.

’This man is fighting an expert from the Pusaka Country, but he isn’t taking it seriously at all. He’s just using this opportunity to draw my attention and lock onto my position.’

’His target isn’t Aduvan. It’s me!’

Devi understood Ding Huiyuan’s meaning. The smile on his lips grew wider and more unrestrained, and the high-altitude winds whipped his hair up toward the sky.

’Interesting. Very interesting.’

’Not only are there people capable of defeating Yuri and Ulysses, but there’s also someone who can see through my cover from over ten kilometers away and lock onto my position.’

’You have the right. I accept your challenge.’

Devi tapped his foot, turned, and landed back on the rooftop of the Central Mansion, then walked toward the door to the stairwell.

TAP TAP TAP!

Just then, the sound of footsteps, accompanied by snippets of conversation, came from the stairwell.

The lock on the stairwell door clicked open. Two men who looked like security guards walked onto the rooftop, cigarettes dangling from their lips, chatting and laughing. It seemed they were there to conduct some sort of routine patrol.

The rooftop of the Central Mansion was off-limits to outsiders.

After all, if someone got tired of living and jumped from the roof, a six-hundred-meter fall would make quite a mess on the ground.

To them, Devi was an illegal trespasser.

And yet, upon seeing the two security guards, Devi’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He didn’t pause his steps, but continued walking forward.

The two guards were chatting and laughing, but they didn’t spare Devi so much as a glance. It was as if, in their subconscious, there was no one there at all.

As Devi drew near, the two men even subconsciously shifted their feet, clearing a path for him to smoothly enter the stairwell leading down.

Even after Devi’s figure disappeared into the shadows of the stairwell, the two guards noticed nothing out of the ordinary. They continued their cheerful conversation, only feeling slightly strange about how such a large gap had opened up between them without them realizing it.

It was as if Devi were a ghost, existing in a completely different world from them.

The scene was exceedingly bizarre and more than a little chilling.