Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 161 - 157: Surging Undercurrents, Unwilling to Let the Sky Be Tainted by Dust

General Command Headquarters.

On the large screen, the blurry and distorted image, which had been covered in static, cleared up.

Everyone saw Devi’s back as he walked away, and Ding Huiyuan standing in place with blood trickling from his nose.

"Mr. Ding has been defeated. It seems the two engaged in an extremely intense clash of magnetic fields. Mr. Ding deployed some kind of Barrier Divine Power, causing many civilians at the scene to fall into a near-real illusion, but the Barrier was instantly shattered by Devi."

A staff member immediately reported the specific details of the situation.

After all, the camera footage had been extremely blurry due to the magnetic field fluctuations. Furthermore, without being there in person, it was impossible to truly experience the clash of True Intents and understand what had really happened.

Hearing this, the room fell silent.

Ding Huiyuan had taken down Aduvan of Pusaka Country in an instant with the True Word Technique. His power was considered unfathomable, far exceeding everyone’s expectations, yet Devi still instantly and forcefully shattered his Barrier ability, defeating him.

The man from the Starry Sky Country... his strength was immeasurable.

What had once seemed like a highly favorable situation had now become murky and uncertain.

Ding Huiyuan had defeated Aduvan, but had in turn been defeated by Devi.

Zhou Qingchen had defeated Source Stream Ulysses, but suffered a backlash from using an unmastered Secret Technique and was now severely injured.

As for the others, they had either already been defeated or were injured in previous battles and couldn’t recover to their peak condition in a short time.

Therefore, on Donghua’s side, the only one left qualified to fight Devi was Yi Beidou.

But could Yi Beidou really defeat an opponent who could instantly shatter Ding Huiyuan’s Barrier, injuring him in the process—an existence whose mastery over magnetic fields was unfathomable?

No one could say for sure.

Tomorrow would be the most crucial battle.

"We’ll have to let the young people handle it. For now, all we can do is trust them."

"However, we must make other arrangements. We won’t play any dirty tricks, but we can’t guarantee that the Western World, led by the Starry Sky Country, and the Secret Organizations won’t."

"Go on full alert. Pay special attention to the area around Yi Beidou’s residence. Increase surveillance and background checks to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Everyone, it’s time for us to make our move."

Wei Cheng said in a low voice to the Saint Experts present.

Meanwhile.

The Starry Sky Country’s Special Intelligence Bureau.

Kasey Rich sat in his secret office, which resembled a museum of savage beasts, and received the battle report from Donghua.

Earth Giant God Yuri—defeated!

Source Stream Ulysses—defeated!

The fruits of the Starry Sky Country’s "New Martial Arts Dao" from recent years—the three Saint Realm achievers known as Sea, Land, and Air—and two of them had already been defeated!

This was something Kasey had not anticipated.

He had originally thought that the strength of these three would be enough to suppress every other country in the world.

While suppressing Donghua, it was also supposed to be the perfect opportunity to display the Starry Sky Country’s hegemonic military might to the entire world.

Yet now, only Devi remained standing.

His triple-layered insurance was no longer so certain.

"Ding Huiyuan was defeated by Devi after defeating Aduvan. Zhou Qingchen’s victory over Ulysses involved a clever trick, but he was injured and can no longer fight. Now, the only one left qualified to fight Devi is Yi Beidou."

Kasey muttered to himself, picking up the file on Yi Beidou.

His biography was unremarkable, but from the moment he debuted, he had shown an undeniable edge.

Currently the world’s youngest Saint Realm achiever, he had entered the Saint Realm only half a year ago, went on a rampage in Nanyang that made veteran Saint Experts go into hiding, and forced a Reincarnator to his death in Dragon Tiger Town.

During this incident in Modu, he defeated four Saints on the very first day. After a single night, not only did his injuries fully heal, but his strength also seemed to have reached a new level. He has achieved near-perfect mastery of some kind of Prayer Witchcraft, seemingly inspired by the Blasphemer Moncalis.

Now, even Yuri had been defeated by him.

The Earth Giant God, a man who was nearly invincible as long as he stood on solid ground, had been swung through the air like a sandbag by this person.

His power was growing so rapidly that Kasey almost thought he was looking at another Devi.

Most importantly, this Yi Beidou seemed to have a deep connection with the "Ancient Ones."

Reincarnators, too, varied in strength.

Some Reincarnators only managed to reincarnate successfully with the help of various methods, combined with a stroke of luck.

They wouldn’t be lucky enough to succeed consecutively. For a Reincarnator to advance beyond the foundation of their first life is countless times more difficult than for a normal person.

Therefore, these types of Reincarnators often reached a dead end after two or even three lives, unable to reincarnate again, forced to accept the reality of their soul’s destruction.

But there were other beings whose own power was so extreme, who possessed heaven-defying Divine Powers, that they could reincarnate time and time again relying solely on themselves. In every life, they could recover their peak strength and perhaps even surpass it.

Nine lives was a threshold.

Those who could successfully reincarnate nine times would be called an "Ancient One."

These beings had consciousnesses that stretched back for millennia. They might have even witnessed the entire development of human history. No one knew how many secrets they held, how much they hid, or what kind of influence they had exerted on the world from the shadows.

They were truly unfathomable and uncontrollable beings.

As the personal disciple of such a being, it was difficult to predict what unknown abilities Yi Beidou might possess.

Suppressing Donghua—this operation could not afford to fail.

"Get me in touch with Devi. I need to speak with him."

Kasey said to his assistant, who stood respectfully to the side in a sharp suit.

"Are you worried that Devi will lose tomorrow’s battle?"

the assistant inquired.

"No, I don’t think Devi will lose. But we need to be fully prepared, don’t we?"

Kasey said faintly.

「About three hours later.」

At the Starry Sky Country’s consulate in Modu, personally led by a middle-aged consul in a sharp suit, Devi took a call on a special secure line from the Starry Sky Country.

"What is it? Spit it out."

Even though the person on the other end was the director of the Starry Sky Country’s Special Intelligence Bureau, a Saint Realm achiever known as the "Beast King," Devi’s tone was remarkably calm and cold.

"There’s no rule against using weapons in this tournament. That thing... you brought it with you, right?"

Kasey’s voice came through the receiver.

Modern tournaments between Saint Experts didn’t prohibit the use of weapons, but not many Saint Experts actually used them in their duels.

This was because Saint Experts had extremely high physical durability, with bodies like bronze heads and iron arms. Ordinary weapons could hardly inflict significant damage and might even break in the attempt.

Furthermore, one had less control over a weapon than one’s own flesh and blood. To unleash the full power of various Techniques and magnetic True Intents, one had to use their physical body.

But this wasn’t an absolute rule.

Dharma Artifacts were the mainstream choice for beings of this level.

For example, Ooshima Junichi had once borrowed the True Intent of the Demon Blade, which was equivalent to using a weapon.

And Devi possessed a similar item.

If he used it, his combat lethality would surely increase, and his odds of winning against Yi Beidou would rise dramatically.

"I will not rely on any external power. This will be a fair duel. Are you doubting me, or are you insulting me?"

Hearing Kasey’s words, Devi’s tone instantly turned sharp. The middle-aged consul beside him suddenly felt an intense sense of suffocation, as if all the air around him had been sucked away in an instant.

"Humanity wouldn’t have gotten where it is today without relying on external power. When you went to space to cultivate, did you not rely on external power? Weapons have always been a part of an individual’s strength. In the future, when our people journey to the sea of stars, we will inevitably need tools. Are you really going to reject such things?"

Kasey’s voice came over the phone.

"There’s no need to discuss this further. What I do is my business. You, of all people, are not qualified to order me around."

Devi said coolly.

"Don’t forget who supported you to get where you are today! It was this land behind you, this nation that stands at the pinnacle of human society, guiding the development of the human era like a beacon!"

"This trip to Modu is extremely important. You must guarantee a flawless victory, or Congress will re-evaluate all of your resources. You probably won’t get another chance to return to space."

Hearing this, Kasey’s tone also grew cold and harsh.

"I don’t care. In the spare time from my Cultivation, I’ve already taught myself the basic architecture and principles of spacecraft. There’s no technology I can’t understand. Just getting into space isn’t difficult for me. Don’t forget, my body isn’t as fragile as a normal person’s. I don’t need such precise data or robust materials."

"Besides, you’re wrong about one thing. To become a beacon for humanity, you don’t rely on fraud and deception, but on genuinely making the entire world feel your progress and superiority."

"Competition is the ladder of human progress. If one day I am truly defeated, it will mean I can no longer stand at the forefront of the era. I will accept it, change it, and then return to that sky from which I can look down on everything."

"Remember, this is who I am. Devi Punk."

Devi said calmly, then hung up the phone without waiting for Kasey to say anything more.

Starry Sky Country, Special Intelligence Bureau.

"Arrogant bastard!!"

Listening to the dial tone, a vicious glint flashed in Kasey’s eyes. His lips curled back, revealing rows of tight, even teeth. His hair stood on end like the mane of an angry lion, and a terrifying aura seemed to make the entire office tremble.

CRACK! The phone receiver exploded in his hand, turning to dust.

The assistant in the suit lowered his head, not daring to say a single word.

’These guys... the biggest problem with them is that they’re so hard to control.’

"Contact certain Secret Organizations. Pass them a message. Tell them that if they don’t want to see Donghua rise, then they should give us some help. They must have their own measures in place in Modu."

The anger on Kasey’s face quickly subsided, and he returned to his calm demeanor as he spoke to the assistant beside him.

’Since you’re unwilling to do it, I’ll just have to find some other way to ensure a flawless outcome.’

"Understood, Mr. Director."

The assistant gave a slight bow and left the office.

Meanwhile, inside the Starry Sky Country’s consulate.

After hanging up, Devi walked toward the consulate exit.

"Mr. Devi, where are you going? We’ve prepared a room for you to rest here."

the middle-aged consul hurriedly asked.

"Tonight will not be peaceful. I’m going to do what I must."

Devi said faintly, and then, before the consul’s very eyes, his figure vanished into thin air.

Knowing the Special Intelligence Bureau as he did, he was sure that since he had refused their request, they would definitely find another way.

He had to ensure that his opponent would not be disturbed in any way tonight.

Outside the consulate, Devi looked up at the night sky.

A bright moon hung high in the cloudless sky.

This sky, his sky, would not be desecrated by others.