Redemption of a Born Demon

Long Yichen quickly explained to the others.

More than seventy percent intact, with no obvious physical flaws aside from a missing head. The corpse of an Earth Immortal... this was simply beyond their imagination. Even if it wasn’t as strong as a peak Earth Immortal, a creature like this probably still possessed at least fifty percent of its full power.

No wonder those Sleepers had died. They didn’t have a terrifying Illusion Breaking ability like Yi Beidou’s Black Flame, so they couldn’t discern the true nature of the light source. By the time they reached the summit and realized something was wrong, it was already too late to escape.

It was an absolute slaughter!!

Long Yichen’s words sent a shock through everyone.

’An Earth Immortal... a legendary being. Many of them had only ever seen fragments of their remains, yet here in this Grotto Heaven was a relatively complete corpse?’

’If this thing ever escaped the Grotto Heaven, all of human civilization would probably be powerless against it.’

"Mr. Yi, we should retreat for now! We can regroup and form a plan before we act."

Meng Qianyuan couldn’t help but urge him.

"Too late."

Yi Beidou’s expression was serene.

In his vision, the seated Headless Immortal Corpse had begun to move.

It rose slowly to its feet, its headless torso turning to face Yi Beidou directly.

"What do you mean?!"

Durand’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest at Yi Beidou’s words.

"It’s locked on to me. It seems my Black Flame triggered its hostile instincts."

Yi Beidou’s voice remained calm, but the blood in his veins began to race.

’A headless corpse of an Earth Immortal, is it?’

’Interesting. This is very interesting indeed.’

Though none of them could see it, Yi Beidou’s words alone were enough to make them feel like they were suffocating.

BOOM!!

The next moment, something on the summit changed.

The hazy, colorful glow instantly intensified, illuminating half the Sky. Moreover, even the full moon seemed to react, its brightness increasing dramatically in an instant. The entire Grotto Heaven was bathed in its light, as if night had turned to day in the blink of an eye.

Then, hearing a sonic boom from the summit, everyone looked up.

From within the blazing light, a radiant, headless Jade Body shot out.

It strode through the air, each step triggering a terrifying sonic boom. The Void rippled like the surface of a lake. And it wasn’t just sonic booms; golden Talismans emanated in circles from beneath its feet, seemingly providing it with powerful thrust.

And so, the Headless Immortal Corpse strode through the Void, closing in on their position with unimaginable speed.

It was walking on air!

The sight was something straight out of legend. That, combined with an oppressive aura akin to a landslide or a tsunami, made every elite present freeze in place.

"Fall back to a safe distance. I’m the one who provoked it, so I’ll handle it. If I can’t, get out of here."

Yi Beidou looked up into the air. The Black Flame transformed into a fiery mark on his brow, and the Jade Power instantly fortified every inch of his skin. The Life Magnetic Field within him reversed wildly as the form of the Flame Throne materialized at his back.

FWOOSH!!

The Black Flame surged toward the Sky at a terrifying, unprecedented speed, like an enraged Black Dragon rushing to devour the rapidly approaching Headless Immortal Corpse.

"Fall back first!"

Durand roared, leading the members of the God-Sealing Alliance in a swift retreat from the battlefield. This was no longer a fight they could meddle in. Their only hope of contending would be to summon the true form of a Celestial Monarch, and even then, it would only be for a single strike.

"Everyone, fall back!"

The numerous Martial Artists from Donghua didn’t hesitate either, quickly scattering. Once they found a safe distance, they all stared intently in Yi Beidou’s direction.

This was the power of the world’s strongest man. Only he could stand firm as a mountain, unyielding before such an unimaginably powerful being.

ROAR!!

Under Yi Beidou’s control, the spreading Black Flame lunged like a Black Dragon at the air-walking Headless Immortal Corpse.

The Immortal Corpse’s instincts seemed to sense the terrifying danger within the Black Flame. It twisted its body in mid-air, instantly dodging more than a hundred meters to the side.

Then, from its position over three hundred meters in the air, it launched an attack on Yi Beidou.

The Headless Immortal Corpse formed a series of hand seals. Countless golden patterns extended from its body like chains, coalescing in mid-air into the form of golden Flying Swords.

The Headless Immortal Corpse then flicked a finger, and the golden Flying Swords shot violently toward Yi Beidou, moving too fast for the eye to track.

WHOOSH!!

The air seemed to rip apart. Yi Beidou’s expression hardened as he dodged in rapid succession, letting the golden Flying Swords plunge into the ground around him.

But in the next instant...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The golden Flying Swords that missed their mark suddenly detonated, setting off a series of terrifying, earth-shattering explosions.

The ground trembled violently as terrifying shockwaves radiated outward, one after another. A cloud of dust and smoke blotted out everything from view.

Even the many experts of the Saint Realm felt themselves becoming unsteady.

’What the hell kind of attack is this?! Each of those Flying Swords was pure, terrifying energy. The result is no less devastating than a saturation strike from high-yield thermobaric weapons.’

’In a situation like this, the shockwaves alone are enough to hinder evasion. And if you’re not fast enough to dodge, the destructive power of the Flying Sword itself is probably even greater than the explosion.’

’If any of us were in the center of that, we’d likely have been killed in that first volley.’

’And their opponent is three hundred meters up in the sky. We’d be hard-pressed to threaten it even if we used every trick we have.’

’How are you supposed to fight that?!’

It was as if they weren’t even the same species, or from the same era. It was like a caveman throwing rocks at a modern fighter jet.

’This is an Earth Immortal?! And one that’s only fighting on instinct?!’

It was like a True God declaring war on humanity.

"Fall back! Keep falling back!"

While they were still in a daze, a roar came from the direction of the God-Sealing Alliance.

They looked up at the Sky and a chill instantly ran down their spines.

Countless golden Talismans flowed out from the Headless Immortal Corpse, converging in mid-air to form a colossal Flying Sword.

It was about twenty meters long and five meters wide. The terrifying fluctuations of power it emitted gave everyone a sense of dread.

The next moment, the massive Flying Sword plunged toward the ground.

KABOOM!!!

The violent explosion drowned out all other sound. Within a five-hundred-meter radius, every tree was blasted to splinters. Beyond that, a terrifying, ring-shaped shockwave uprooted and blew away everything in its path. Even a few unprepared Saint Realm experts were sent flying. Though they managed to circulate their power and Qi to protect themselves in time, the force of the blast still made them cough up blood.

"That goddamn thing has the power of a small tactical nuke!! Is that even human?!!"

Tao Zihong pressed his body low to the ground, digging his arms into the soil to anchor himself; otherwise, he too would have been sent flying by the shockwave.

His voice was filled with utter disbelief.

’The power of an Earth Immortal is this terrifying? And this isn’t even a real Earth Immortal, just its headless corpse!’

’The advantage of flight, ranged attacks with the power of a nuke, and the theoretically inexhaustible energy of an Earth Immortal.’

’Who could possibly defeat such a being? Can Yi Beidou?! Is he even still alive?!’

Just as that doubt entered their minds...

FWOOM! FWOOM! FWOOM! FWOOM!!

From within the smoke at the epicenter of the blast, four pillars of black fire, like columns of black jade, erupted into the sky. The terrifying Black Flame spread out in all directions with even greater speed, threatening to fill the entire Sky and surround the Headless Immortal Corpse from every angle.

As the smoke began to clear, everyone saw Yi Beidou’s figure.

His body, like that of translucent jade, was covered in cracks, but they were rapidly healing under the effects of the Penglai Immortal Technique. He looked up at the Sky, his eyes devoid of fear.

"You’re afraid of the Black Flame? That makes sense. You’re nothing but an incomplete corpse!!"

Yi Beidou raised his hand, then clenched his fist in the direction of the Immortal Corpse.

The Black Flame surging from all directions bent to his will, weaving itself into a cage that contracted violently around the Headless Immortal Corpse at its center.