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Chapter 361: Repelling the Demon
Chapter 361: Repelling the Demon
The Heavenly Demon was cunning, ever-changing, and unpredictable.
But this Heavenly Demon had just barely broken through to this level, and its realm was not yet fully stabilized. It was still adjusting to the power of the Heavenly Demon, but an external interference exposed its weakness, and Chen Mu seized the opportunity.
Bang!
This punch landed a solid punch, and the might of the Heaven-Earth Seal erupted within the Heavenly Demon's illusion of Chen Mu's chest and abdomen. Despite its attempt to counter with the Heaven-Earth Seal, it was a step too late to make up for it.
As the power of the Heaven-Earth Seal blossomed, the Heavenly Demon's manifested form crumbled and rotted, unable to maintain Chen Mu's appearance. It was instantly reduced to a clump of pitch-black and deep fog, thick and substantial like a liquid.
"Hiss."
Almost simultaneously, the black fog-like Heavenly Demon's true form rippled, followed by a piercing shriek that burst forth, spreading in all directions.
The grating shriek didn't seem to come from the physical realm, as even the distant Weak Water didn't ripple. However, the sound seemed to emanate directly from the depths of one's soul, piercing the innermost being.
Chen Mu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
He felt as if a sharp cone had penetrated his spiritual realm, stabbing into his soul.
Yet, his mind remained calm. His true form condensed, and his entire soul silently transformed into a figure identical to his own, emitting faint rays of light as it sat cross-legged in the void.
True Form God!
No matter how the Heavenly Demon changed, formless and shapeless, he only manifested his true form, guarding his original heart and mind, unchanging! The black fog that penetrated was like a sharp cone, but when it struck Chen Mu's soul-manifested true form, it was like striking a bronze bell, bursting forth with countless strands of golden light.
"Ah!"
A shrill scream suddenly echoed, reverberating in the depths of Chen Mu's soul.
Outside.
The clump of black fog, enveloping Chen Mu's fist, suddenly solidified, as if enduring a terrifying attack. It rippled with layers of ripples and then burst and shattered.
Bang!
This ninth-rank Heavenly Demon had first endured Chen Mu's Heaven-Earth Seal and then attempted to attack Chen Mu's soul. Failing, it suffered a backlash, and the two consecutive blows erupted, causing its body to crumble continuously. The arms and legs formed from the black fog also disintegrated, turning entirely into a surging mass of black fog.
Then, without much pause, the black fog exploded with a bang, transforming into seven or eight fog clusters of similar size, shooting out in all directions. Chen Mu was very familiar with this move, the Demon Disintegration! When performed by a true Heavenly Demon, the disintegration technique was distinctly different. The seven or eight clusters of bursting black fog each burned with black flames, unleashing a terrifying demonic might far surpassing that of top-tier grandmasters, and they surged towards various directions.
One cluster even rushed directly towards the Weak Water, aiming for Feng Hongsheng at the bottom.
"Hmph," Chen Mu coldly snorted, his expression unchanged. He drew out the Cold Soul Spirit Blade with his right hand and slashed it with all his might, splitting the cluster of black fog heading towards the Weak Water in two! The black fog burst with a sizzling sound, its surface constantly freezing and solidifying, then trembling and burning. After a brief stalemate, it quickly dimmed and turned to ashes.
Swish! Swish!!
Chen Mu swiftly slashed three more times, repeatedly slicing another cluster of black fog until it completely dissipated. Then, with a single throw of the blade, he pierced through a hundred zhang, striking another cluster of black fog, enveloping the piercing shriek within, and slicing it down.
Finally, he pursued one of the clusters, reaching out and grabbing it. In an instant, the surrounding heaven and earth within a radius of several dozen zhang seemed to be in his palm, as he suppressed the black fog and gradually compressed it between his palms.
Bang.
Before Chen Mu could continue his attack, the black fog exploded, shaking the nearby void and leaving thin white marks. Then, it also dimmed and quickly dissipated, vanishing without a trace.
"This Demon Disintegration technique, when performed by a true Heavenly Demon, is indeed different."
Chen Mu watched as the black mist in his palm dissipated and faded, but there was little joy on his face. He casually discarded the remnants.
A Heaven Demon.
They were, after all, masters of survival.
Even though this one had just reached this level and had been almost entirely suppressed by him throughout their battle, its survival skills were still far beyond his own. At least in terms of the Heaven Demon's ability to disintegrate and transform between the real and the illusory, he could not achieve such a feat.
The disintegration technique of the Seventh Stage Ancient Demon he had faced before had genuinely split its body into a dozen pieces. However, this Heaven Demon's technique was entirely different. The seven or eight clumps of black mist it split into were all nearly substantial, yet also seemed insubstantial.
Chen Mu's perception was clear.
Each of these clumps of black mist was likely substantial, a part of its true form.
But when he slashed at them with his blade or ground them down with Heaven-Earth Power, they would naturally collapse, turning from substance into nothingness, becoming mere illusions, real and illusory, impossible to grasp.
"Real and illusory..."
Chen Mu gazed into the distance.
The various techniques the Heaven Demon used, especially the transformation from the illusory to the real, were the only ones he had encountered that were completely outside the scope of the Eight Aspects of Heaven-Earth. It was like a parallel path to the Heaven-Earth Principle.
Moreover, the most critical point was that even at his current level, he still found it difficult to grasp the subtleties of this transformation. This real-illusory conversion was too ethereal, seemingly a path only a Heaven Demon could master.
"The technique of Heaven-Earth might also have its limits."
This thought suddenly arose in Chen Mu's mind.
The Heaven-Earth Principle was indeed the strongest and most inclusive martial path of the current era, capable of encompassing all martial arts. It seemed to touch the pinnacle of all things, yet there were still aspects it could not reach.
For example, time, nothingness, and the real-illusory transformation... these were not within the scope of the Heaven-Earth Principle.
Martial arts have evolved from ancient times to the present, converging into the Heaven-Earth Principle, which integrates all martial arts. However, the Heaven-Earth Principle might only be the current endpoint of martial arts, not the true pinnacle. It still has its limitations and areas it cannot encompass.
However.
These thoughts flashed through Chen Mu's mind only briefly.
The path of Heaven-Earth was also created by humans, and as such, it inevitably has its limitations. Although it presented this situation before the Heaven Demon's real-illusory transformation, he still found it easy to deal with the Heaven Demon. Moreover, he had not yet reached the limits of the Heaven-Earth Principle. To break through the concept of 'Heaven-Earth' and extend the path of martial arts further was something he was far from capable of.
At least, he needed to reach the limits of the Heaven-Earth Principle and glimpse the true essence of the world before he could clearly understand whether the Heaven Demon's real-illusory transformation was within the scope of the Heaven-Earth Principle.
Soon.
He cast aside various miscellaneous thoughts from his mind.
Chen Mu turned his gaze to the Weak Water nearby. He saw a figure approaching the edge of the water and quickly breaking the surface—it was Feng Hongsheng.
Feng Hongsheng was holding the Dark Soul Lotus in his hand, and his face looked somewhat pale.
The sharp scream the Heaven Demon had unleashed, which attacked the soul, had been directed mostly at Chen Mu, but Feng Hongsheng was very close. Even at the bottom of the Weak Water, he still endured some of the impact.
Fortunately, he was a grandmaster, having dominated the Frost North for many years. His martial will was condensed, and the impact that spread to him was not intense, having been weakened layer by layer. He managed to withstand it in the end.
"Chief Peak Master Chen, that Heaven Demon..."
As soon as Feng Hongsheng reached the shore, he immediately looked around with extreme caution. He did not see the Heaven Demon, only Chen Mu standing by the Weak Water, and he approached him.
"It escaped."
Chen Mu shook his head slightly and said, "Its strength is not much, but its survival skills are indeed remarkable."
Escaped?
Despite Chen Mu's casual tone, Feng Hongsheng couldn't help but take a deep breath, his heart racing. His eyes revealed a complex expression as he looked at Chen Mu.
A Heaven Demon, a Ninth Stage Heaven Demon, even if it had just broken through and its realm was not yet stable, was still a Heaven Demon. In many ancient texts, they were almost mythical beings. Chen Mu had actually managed to repel a Heaven Demon!
Even though it seemed impossible, Feng Hongsheng couldn't help but ask, "Chief Peak Master Chen, have you... reached the Eighth Realm?"
Given Chen Mu's age, reaching the Bone Marrow Purification Realm and achieving the status of a Heaven and Earth Grandmaster was already astonishing. If he had also practiced Blood Replacement, it would be utterly inconceivable. But if Chen Mu had not practiced Blood Replacement and had repelled a Heaven Demon at the grandmaster level, that too was inconceivable.
"Not even close."
Chen Mu briefly acknowledged, then turned to Yuan Hongsheng, "Have you obtained the Dark Soul Lotus?"
"It's all here."
Yuan Hongsheng promptly handed over the Dark Soul Lotus, a complete one and another with only about a third remaining, to Chen Mu. Despite a slight reluctance, he passed the intact lotus and the partially damaged one to Chen Mu.
As Chen Mu received the intact lotus and the damaged one, a chilling sensation coursed through his fingers, colder than the ancient ice in the far north of Ice Province. It felt like an eerie coldness seeping into his bones.
After examining them for a moment, Chen Mu returned the damaged lotus to Yuan Hongsheng.
"This..."
Yuan Hongsheng took back the damaged lotus, feeling a bit apprehensive. Although he had discovered this place, the situation at the bottom of the Weak Water Pool seemed different from what he had anticipated. If he hadn't brought Chen Mu but another Grandmaster from the Seven Mysteries Sect, two or three more lives might have been lost here to the Ninth Stage Heavenly Demon.
Moreover, after bringing Chen Mu to this place, Yuan Hongsheng had hardly been of any help besides retrieving the lotus. The intact lotus was one thing, but even holding the damaged one made him feel uneasy.
"Elder Yuan, you've worked hard and should not return empty-handed."
Chen Mu, maintaining his composure, responded calmly. The Dark Soul Lotus was a precious find, and since Yuan Hongsheng had assisted him in Yu Prefecture years ago, he wouldn't claim it all for himself.
Hearing Chen Mu's words, Yuan Hongsheng's expression softened. He carefully took back the damaged lotus, then turned to Chen Mu, his mind racing with countless thoughts, suddenly understanding many things.
Back in Yu Prefecture, when the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion plotted against Chen Mu, their plan likely hadn't succeeded. Chen Mu had played along to avoid attracting too much attention, leading to his current situation—quietly and discreetly breaking through to the Heaven-Earth Grandmaster realm.
He wasn't sure when Chen Mu had entered the Marrow Wash Realm.
But upon careful consideration, it was likely after entering Frost County that he had reached this level. Only then could he have easily defeated Grandmasters like Bone-Piercing Marquis. During the battle at the Sky Demon Sect's headquarters, it appeared that Qin Mengjun had entered the Blood Exchange Realm, but in reality, Chen Mu had also played a significant role.
The Heaven-Earth Grandmasters were known as invincible among Grandmasters. Chen Mu was now the tenth Heaven-Earth Grandmaster in the history of Great Xuan Nation, and his strength was likely among the top tier. Repelling the Heavenly Demon indicated that he had truly approached the eighth level of Martial Arts!
The Body Tempering Martial Arts and Blood Exchange were the ultimate paths.
Any existence capable of entering the Blood Exchange Realm was undoubtedly exceptional in Martial Arts, a true genius of their generation. Figures like Qin Mengjun, Yin Heng, and the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion Master were all extraordinary. Even in the Marrow Wash Realm, Chen Mu was almost at the level of Blood Exchange, a feat not easily achieved by the nine Heaven-Earth Grandmasters who had come before.
Undoubtedly, if Chen Mu's current strength were to become known, not only would Ice Province be shaken, but the entire Frost North, comprising eleven provinces, would tremble. All sects and factions would be astonished!
"I thought that within a few short years, you, Chen Peak Master, would rise to the third rank on the Wind-Cloud Rankings, and your Martial Arts progress would be extraordinary. I never imagined you would reach this level. Among all the geniuses I've seen in my life, you stand out like a cloud among the mud."
Yuan Hongsheng finally couldn't hold back, speaking with a mix of awe and admiration.
Back in Yu Prefecture, although Chen Mu was already a formidable expert, there was still a significant gap compared to his current realm. Elder Fu Jingyuan, for instance, wouldn't have needed much effort to deal with Chen Mu back then. But now, if Chen Mu wanted to defeat Fu Jingyuan, it would likely be a matter of mere moments.
"In these turbulent times, I merely tread cautiously."
Chen Mu carefully put away the intact Dark Soul Lotus and calmly replied to Yuan Hongsheng, "Elder Yuan, do you have any other information? If not, I'll take my leave."
"Yes, now that I have the Soul Lotus, I should return as well."
Yuan Hongsheng collected his thoughts and responded, the Dark Soul Lotus being too precious to risk. Even with just a damaged lotus, he wouldn't dare continue adventuring in the underground realm. He needed to return and secure it properly.
"Alright, then we shall part ways for now."
Chen Mu nodded slightly to Yuan Hongsheng, then turned his gaze to the distance. After a few steps, his figure vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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