Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 180 - 172: The Newly Ascended Top 10 Contestants Gather for a Visit (Part 2)

Rumor has it that Wei Cheng intends to recruit him for a key position within the Special Security Bureau. This man’s future prospects and influence in Donghua will likely be immeasurable.

He belongs to no sect or school, has a clean background, is a skilled networker, and possesses both exceptional strength and talent. Moreover, the Dragon Transformation Technique he cultivates became deeply intertwined with the Great Trend of the world during the Martial Hero Conference. The Special Security Bureau would indeed be an excellent home for him.

"I can’t sense any aura either."

Shu Xuanji added.

She was over thirty-five years old, but as Martial Artists could lock in their vitality, she looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. She had an oval face and large, limpid eyes like autumn pools. She didn’t exude a sharp aura; compared to Zhou Qingchen’s heroic bearing, she seemed quite gentle.

Her appearance was quite deceptive. One would never guess she was an expert, let alone a Sword Cultivator renowned for her ferocity.

"Even if we were to break through to the Saint Realm, I doubt we could ever comprehend Mr. Yi’s abilities."

Meng Qianyuan shook his head slightly.

The change in him was also immense. His frame had become even more robust, and he exuded a faint aura that seemed capable of moving mountains and filling seas, creating an immense sense of pressure.

After Yi Beidou’s last battle with Devi, he had stopped following Yi Beidou to focus on preparing for the conference. He later broke through to the Saint Realm and entered seclusion to consolidate his power. All told, it had been a full half-month since he had last seen Yi Beidou.

Just then, two figures approached the manor gate.

"Mutong, Bai Wei."

Meng Qianyuan stepped forward to greet them.

"Mr. Yi is waiting for you all inside."

Zhou Baiwei said with a smile, unable to resist giving Meng Qianyuan a second look. She inwardly marveled at the change in his aura.

’This guy has really made it big. He’s a legendary Saint Expert now. I wonder if he’d beat me up if I called him "Big Iron Bull" again?’

"Big Iron Bull" was the private nickname Zhou Baiwei and Yang Mutong had for Meng Qianyuan.

He was tall and large, built like he was made of iron, and as strong as an ox. He even spent his days tilling the earth. If that wasn’t an iron bull, what was?

But she only felt happy for him, not a trace of jealousy or inferiority.

Having followed Yi Beidou for so long, her mindset had long since changed.

Previously, she had viewed Ascension as a legend, the pinnacle of personal martial prowess—a realm she might never have the chance to glimpse in her lifetime.

But now she understood that compared to humanity’s bottomless potential, Ascension was merely a stage in the current era’s development. Perhaps in a hundred, or several hundred years, everyone would be able to achieve Ascension.

She was also confident that she could ride the tides of this new era and glimpse the Saint Realm for herself.

You are colored by the company you keep.

Her shameless decision to stick by Yi Beidou’s side back then was an opportunity she had seized, and it had changed her life forever.

During the conference, although both of them had ranked in the top one hundred, their performance was merely in the lower-middle tier. After all, they were only in the Soul Capturing Realm and could hardly contend with Soul-Seizing experts. However, influenced by the Great Trend of the conference, their strength had improved, and they were now approaching the Soul-Seizing Realm.

As the group entered the manor’s courtyard, they saw a figure standing on the lawn.

Wang Chen and Shu Xuanji were visibly startled.

The figure was clearly standing right there, visible to the naked eye, yet the keen intuition they had developed since their Ascension felt nothing at all. It was as if the space the person occupied was a patch of the Void, containing nothing, and what they saw was merely an illusion.

They even suspected that if the man hadn’t known they were coming and deliberately "granted them permission" of a sort, they probably wouldn’t have been able to see him at all.

It was as if he and they existed in two different dimensions.

After their Ascension, their power had skyrocketed. This immense strength had given rise to an ambition to contend with the heavens themselves, a feeling that their own two fists could defeat any opponent in the world. But now, with a single glance, all the arrogance of a newly ascended Saint vanished.

There is always someone better, and always a higher heaven. For many, Ascension was the ultimate goal, but for some, it was merely the beginning.

Then, the group was once again shocked by what Yi Beidou was doing.

They saw that he was surrounded by several cats, apparently strays from around the manor. Just then, a large tabby cat actually stood up on its hind legs, raised its front paws into a boxer’s stance, and threw a few punches forward. WHAP! WHAP!

Though its stance and the force of its blows were somewhat unnatural, this was a cat!

’Has it become a spirit?’

Then they saw another cat stand up on its hind legs, do two somersaults, then turn and wave a front paw at them. It wore a distinctly human-like smile, as if greeting them.

’I’m... I’m seeing ghosts.’

Aside from Meng Qianyuan, who had followed Yi Beidou for a long time and witnessed all sorts of incredible feats, the other Martial Artists could only stare at each other in stunned silence.

"Alright, go on to the backyard and get something to eat. Don’t linger around here."

Yi Beidou stroked the little cats’ heads and waved his hand. The cats instantly returned to normal, meowed at him a couple of times, and then scampered happily toward the backyard.

The cats hadn’t been moving on their own. He had been manipulating their Life Magnetic Fields to control their actions, a principle similar to how Ding Huiyuan had once controlled Zhou Baiwei’s body.

Recently, between the surprise attack from the Ancient One’s avatar and the encounter with that distant, unknown existence using Borrowing Body to Manifest Divinity, Yi Beidou had begun to experiment with such things himself.

He would never use such secretive and malevolent methods himself, but as the saying goes: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. By mastering the core principles, he at least wouldn’t be so on the back foot the next time he encountered it.