Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 89: What of Defeat? The True Fear is a Path Without a Peer.

The Celestial Fiend empowers the Human Fiend. Under the amplification of the Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars’ seven-step Great Trend, Yi Beidou’s own Evil Qi swelled to a truly terrifying level.

Even the Evil Qi generated by the successive Destruction Killing Tribulations of the past could not compare to what he was exuding now.

This surge of Evil Qi had clearly surpassed the limits of what Zhou Qingchen’s various Divine Powers could circumvent, affecting her immensely.

For a Martial Artist known for her speed, having her reaction time impaired by the Evil Qi meant her combat effectiveness was instantly reduced by more than forty percent.

In that instant, Yi Beidou’s palm rapidly loomed larger in Zhou Qingchen’s vision.

BOOM!

Under the amplification of the Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars, it wasn’t just Yi Beidou’s aura that had been enhanced; his Physical Ability had also surpassed its original limits. With a single palm strike, the air within a radius of several meters vibrated violently, creating visible ripples and shockwaves.

When Zhou Qingchen’s Finger Sword collided with Yi Beidou’s palm, she felt an unimaginably powerful impact.

She knew that even if she struck with all her might and managed to pierce Yi Beidou’s palm, her own two fingers would suffer a far more severe injury.

While a concentrated point strike could inflict greater damage, the risk of injury to oneself was also much higher.

TAP!

With a light tap of her foot, Zhou Qingchen abruptly withdrew her power. Using the force from Yi Beidou’s Palm Technique, she floated backward like a feather, intending to create distance and find another opportunity to attack.

However, Yi Beidou wasn’t about to give her that chance.

He took a step.

BOOM!

The ground quaked. Before Zhou Qingchen had even landed, Yi Beidou instantly closed the distance and unleashed another palm strike.

The Evil Qi billowed as the Seven Stars cast down their light. Struck by the Evil Qi while still in mid-air, Zhou Qingchen found it impossible to exert any force.

There was no escape!

If this palm from Yi Beidou struck her head-on, even she would be severely injured.

But Zhou Qingchen was no ordinary person. In mid-air, she took a sharp breath, her chest swelling as she compressed the air in her lungs. Then, she exhaled a sudden burst of white mist that collided directly with Yi Beidou’s palm.

Using the recoil from that breath, she actually managed to propel herself half a meter diagonally upward in mid-air, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from Yi Beidou’s palm.

However, she couldn’t evade the wave-like current of air from the palm strike. Like a lone skiff on a vast ocean, she was sent flying through the air, tumbling several times before finally landing on the ground.

Even though she had been knocked back by the palm strike, Zhou Qingchen’s movements remained light and elegant.

Yi Beidou did not pursue after unleashing his palm strike. After Zhou Qingchen landed, though she was completely unscathed, her expression was conflicted.

She knew that in Yi Beidou’s current state, she had no effective way to threaten him. But by the same token, with her advantage in speed, no one could stop her if she chose to leave.

But in that, the difference in their abilities was already clear.

"This time, I have lost."

Zhou Qingchen’s expression quickly regained its calm. She had not been undefeated in her years of Cultivation. Moreover, her opponent had actually learned her footwork and created his own Technique to defeat her. There was nothing for her to be bitter about.

"We’re just exchanging pointers. Why speak of winning or losing? Besides, you were already in an invincible position. If this were a battle to the death, I couldn’t have threatened your life."

Yi Beidou shook his head, not feeling as though he had won.

’In his mind, a true victory or defeat is only decided by life and death. Only then is the matter truly settled.’

’As long as he couldn’t kill an opponent, he would never consider it a victory.’

"A loss is a loss. There’s nothing more to say. Meeting someone like you has already made this trip worthwhile. However, there are other fellow practitioners in the city, so I won’t linger. We can sit and talk again someday if the opportunity arises."

Zhou Qingchen cupped her hands in a salute to Yi Beidou and gave him one last, profound look. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the Greening Forest.

A few of the Emei Disciples were still standing frozen in place.

Their senior sister, whom they revered as one of the Deities, had actually, truly lost.

And not to a master of the older generation, but to a "junior" who was younger than her and had entered the Realm of Ascension more recently.

"Let’s go."

Only when Zhou Qingchen’s voice reached them did the disciples snap out of it. They bowed and saluted Yi Beidou before hurriedly turning to follow her.

The group from the Emei Sect returned to their vehicles.

"Qingchen..."

The Emei Sect disciple sitting beside Zhou Qingchen glanced at her, wanting to speak but hesitating, apparently worried that her senior would be crushed by the defeat.

"Hahahaha!"

Unexpectedly, however, Zhou Qingchen burst out laughing.

"Qingchen, you..."

The Emei Sect disciples all looked at one another. ’Could the shock have been too much for her?’

"Are you worried I’m crushed?"

Zhou Qingchen’s laughter subsided as she looked at them.

They nodded repeatedly.

"Completely wrong! Utterly wrong! On the path of cultivation, failure and setbacks are inevitable. If you lose heart after a single defeat, how can you ever hope to master the Way? On the contrary, to find a rival in this world—someone to pursue, someone to be spurred on by—is a true blessing!"

At that moment, Zhou Qingchen felt not a shred of dejection, only a thrilling excitement and an inexhaustible wellspring of motivation.

A single thought consumed her.

’To think someone like him actually exists in this world.’

’I must find a way to surpass him, to defeat him.’

The greatest fear is a road ahead with no companions, the deepest sorrow, to be the lone peak under the heavens.

Such magnanimity and passion were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

「Dragon Tiger Mountain Peak.」

"It seems the demonic arts are a cut above, in the end."

The Elder Celestial Master stroked his beard as he watched the stream of Pure Qi depart.

’Qi connecting heaven and earth, reflecting the stars of Beidou, borrowing the Celestial Fiend to empower the Human Fiend... Truly magnificent.’

"Hm?"

The Elder Celestial Master let out a soft sound of surprise. He had just noticed that, at some unknown point, a golden aura that seemed to be woven from sacred scriptures had appeared beside the black, smoky Demonic Qi.

"When did that little fellow double back? He actually managed to evade even my Qi Observation Skill."

A look of astonishment appeared in the Elder Celestial Master’s eyes. He had been so focused on the entanglement of the Pure Qi and the Demonic Qi that he had completely missed the movements of that golden aura.

「In the Greening Forest.」

Yi Beidou watched Zhou Qingchen and her group depart. He turned around, but instead of looking toward Meng Qianyuan and the others, he sensed something and turned his gaze to the other side of the Greening Forest.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The sound of applause came from behind a tree, startling Meng Qianyuan and the others so much that the hair on their arms stood on end.

They hadn’t noticed at all when someone had gotten so close.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant! Fights are always most interesting when you’re just watching."

"I never thought you’d actually beat that violent little lady into submission. I’m impressed, truly impressed!"

A man in a jacket and leather pants with a roguish, unrestrained air walked out from behind the tree, clapping his hands and chuckling as he spoke.

This man was none other than Ding Huiyuan.

He had originally intended to go find the next practitioner on his list, but when he sensed Yi Beidou and Zhou Qingchen meeting, he doubled back. He had slipped into the area unnoticed by anyone and watched the entire battle.

"But you can’t be feeling too good yourself, can you? Harnessing the world’s magnetic field to stimulate your own Life Magnetic Field isn’t something that’s easily controlled. Compared to the world itself, the human body is quite fragile—even one that has achieved Ascension is no exception. You were a little too reckless."

Ding Huiyuan said with a chuckle.

Yi Beidou stared at him without speaking, but a trickle of blood suddenly ran from his nose.

Just as Ding Huiyuan had said, although the Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars was powerful, it came with immense risk.

He had only just grasped this Technique and wasn’t yet proficient, yet he had taken all seven steps at once to maximize its power. It was undeniably potent, but the moment he relaxed, his Life Magnetic Field fell into temporary disarray. Yi Beidou felt his blood and Qi surge violently, his breathing grew chaotic, and his internal organs felt as if they were being seared by flames.

Drastically altering one’s own Life Magnetic Field was no simple matter. In many schools of martial arts, skills involving such things were classified as "Secret Techniques," which exacted a heavy price upon use.

"If your body weren’t so incredibly robust, you probably wouldn’t still be standing. That being the case, I won’t have watched your duel for free. Let me lend you a hand."

Ding Huiyuan said.