Redemption of a Born Demon

Hearing Lotus’s words, the Demon Flame around Yi Beidou faltered slightly.

The matter of Hong Datong was indeed one of his few lingering attachments. The reason he had initially left the country, seeking to measure himself against the world, was to dig into the secrets behind the Pioneer Group and resolve the karma related to Hong Datong.

However, the subsequent turn of events had been somewhat unexpected. The incident at the Mediterranean Sea had consumed his energy and caused the Hidden World, which he had never encountered before, to gradually surface.

But that didn’t mean he had forgotten the matter.

According to the email Hong Datong had left him, the man should have already died. Yet, Lotus had just claimed to have met him not long ago, which certainly piqued Yi Beidou’s interest.

Even though he knew Lotus’s goal was to stall for time, and even though he knew there was likely little truth in his words, he still wanted to hear him out.

Seeing that Yi Beidou had stopped trying to break through the Illusion Realm, a smile crept onto Lotus’s lips, as if he were watching prey successfully lured into his trap.

"Not long ago, I briefly clashed with him in the Human Dao River. Perhaps he has already glimpsed the supreme realm of Spirit Cultivators."

"I told you before, it’s impossible that your master truly died. This has all been nothing more than his plan. He has calculated the entire world into his scheme. What he wants is a monumental change in the world, a shift in the era. What he wants is for the Human Dao River to churn with monstrous waves."

"And you are just a chess piece he put in place, a tool for him to stir up the world, the sharpest knife on his path to becoming a True Spirit and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Earth Immortals."

"You think you’re unrivaled in the present world, that you walk the earth like a God, but you’re just being manipulated by a great hand behind the scenes. Do you think what you want is what you *truly* want? Perhaps it’s nothing more than a ’goal’ that Hong Datong secretly set for you."

"The Free Heart Technique, the Free Celestial Demon... you’re nothing but a puppet on strings. When have you ever truly been ’free’? Don’t you think that’s a bit ridiculous?"

Lotus said with a smile, yet his words were daggers to the heart, each one laced with extreme malice and a Magic Power that seeped into one’s soul.

At that moment, he seemed to be the true demon lord, the one who brought chaos to the hearts of men.

This was Lotus’s goal.

A psychological attack.

He understood Hong Datong very well and had also diligently studied Yi Beidou’s actions. Therefore, he was crystal clear about the place Hong Datong held in Yi Beidou’s heart.

Furthermore, Yi Beidou had achieved his Dao through Hong Datong’s Free Heart Technique. For those who followed this path, the ultimate pursuit was the concept of "freedom." And "freedom" itself could also become their greatest vulnerability.

As long as he pointed out this crucial point, he could directly attack the foundation of Yi Beidou’s Dao heart.

If his Dao heart wavered and his will weakened, his Cultivation would likely regress instead of advance.

This was a Heart Demon.

Everything Yi Beidou had ever done was all within Hong Datong’s plan. He was like a puppet on strings, yet he still believed himself to be free. This was his greatest flaw, turning all his actions into a joke.

Sure enough, after hearing Lotus’s words, Yi Beidou fell silent for a moment, and the Demon Flame around him flickered erratically.

"Without Hong Datong, what would you be today? Your Celestial Demon nature would have likely become uncontrollable long ago, and you would have died under the fire of modern guns. How could you even speak of achieving the Dao?"

Seeing that Yi Beidou seemed to be wavering, Lotus continued, and the entire Illusion Realm transformed completely. It was as if it had peered into Yi Beidou’s thoughts, shifting into a scene from his memories.

In a dim room, crimson blood splattered the walls. Several blood-drenched, mutilated corpses lay on the floor—a tall man, a seemingly harmless woman, a kind-looking old man.

A small boy, holding a fruit knife, stared at his handiwork. His chest heaved violently, and his whole body trembled—not from fear, but from the inexpressible light of excitement shining in his eyes.

In a corner of the room, several other children huddled together, staring at the little boy as if they were looking at a monster.

This was a memory from Yi Beidou’s youth when he was abducted and single-handedly killed several human traffickers. It was also the initial awakening of his Demon Nature.

Normally, this was the moment Hong Datong would have appeared to help him take care of everything. But this time, Hong Datong’s figure did not appear. Instead, the commotion and screams attracted the attention of nearby neighbors, and the sound of police sirens soon echoed from downstairs.

As expected, Yi Beidou was taken away by the police. Although he was released because his victims were human traffickers and he was too young, he became a person of interest for the relevant authorities.

Afterward, his Demon Nature grew more severe by the day. Eventually, he could no longer suppress it and began to seek out the most bloodthirsty thrills. During one "hunt," his cousin, Xu Zifeng, accidentally stumbled upon the evidence, and he went so far as to kill her too...

The final result was easy to imagine.

"You see? Without Hong Datong, this is your fate. Your ’freedom’ is nothing but a handout from someone else, a product of another’s plan. Your Dao, your pride—from start to finish, it has all been a joke."

At that moment, another voice echoed in Yi Beidou’s mind, but this one seemed different from Lotus’s.

It was not the voice of a living being, but the voice of a Demon Tribulation.

Yi Beidou hadn’t heard this terrifying voice in who knows how long.

Yi Beidou had achieved great mastery in the Free Heart Technique, but there was still one major flaw in his heart. That flaw was Hong Datong.

And now, under Lotus’s deliberate guidance, that flaw had erupted.