Redemption of a Born Demon

Zhou Baiwei knew perfectly well what Yang Mutong was thinking, and could only sigh.

’Didn’t I harbor special feelings for Yi Beidou, too? What woman wouldn’t be captivated by such an unparalleled man?’

However, she knew full well that Yi Beidou’s journey would not pause for anyone, and she lacked the talent to keep pace with him.

It was only after breaking through to the Saint Realm that she truly understood just how strong Yi Beidou was.

Before reaching this stage, one is like a frog in a well, gazing at the moon. Only after stepping through the gate does one realize what it means to be a mayfly seeing the vast expanse of the heavens.

"No, I don’t see it that way. Among the myriad paths and principles in this world, obsession itself is a grand path that can transcend life and death. My will is simply not yet firm enough."

Yang Mutong said in a low voice.

She had shed her immaturity for a newfound maturity, which added a deeper charm to her beauty.

Hearing Yang Mutong’s words, Zhou Baiwei fell silent and didn’t try to persuade her further.

Everyone has their own path to walk.

「Meanwhile.」

Yi Beidou walked through the air, feeling the drain on his Life Energy.

After all, he wasn’t a true Earth Immortal, nor did he have Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood to enhance his Physical Ability. The cost of forcibly extracting and using Life Energy was considerable.

To cover the same distance, using an Immortal Talisman to walk through the air consumed dozens of times more Physical Ability than sprinting on the ground.

However, walking through the air was faster and completely unaffected by terrain.

Furthermore, the ability to fight in the air was an asset whose value couldn’t be measured by travel speed alone.

This was a qualitative leap. At the very least, if he ever encountered a being like the Headless Immortal Corpse again, he wouldn’t be forced to just passively take a beating.

Yi Beidou stopped his forward motion and stood in mid-air.

By now, he had basically grasped the fundamentals of using the Immortal Talismans described in the Immortal Dao Jade Book, but they were still just the fundamentals.

The more he learned, the more Yi Beidou understood the profundity and power of this path.

The art of the Immortal Talisman was the pursuit of the ultimate application of energy. Nano-scale energy structures were merely the starting point; far deeper secrets lay hidden within the vast and profound microscopic world.

At that level, energy would undergo inconceivable transformations.

Even the Immortal Dao Jade Book could not document energy applications on such a deep, microscopic level. It only detailed the foundational uses of Immortal Talismans, leaving just a description of their more advanced realms at the very end.

It wasn’t conveyed through words, merely a feeling, but Yi Beidou understood.

He used the vocabulary of this era to name this profound realm of Immortal Talismans.

Immeasurable.

For now, however, this realm was beyond his grasp. He suspected that even among the Earth Immortals of old, very few had ever reached this state.

’Immortal Talismans are rooted in the ’Five Elements’.’

Yi Beidou turned his palm upward. A chain of talismans formed from Jade Energy converged in his hand, coalescing into various shapes.

The Five Elements are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, and yet they are not Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Most people misunderstand the Five Elements.

The Five Elements don’t refer to five fixed attributes, but rather use tangible things as metaphors for corresponding forms.

In the context of Immortal Talismans, they correspond to five systems of talisman construction, each representing a specific form of energy.

Fire.

FWOOM!!

The ball of Jade Energy in Yi Beidou’s palm instantly erupted into a blazing, jade-colored flame. The surrounding air began to warp from the scorching heat.

This wasn’t the Demon Flame produced by his magnetic field, but a true fire created entirely by the eruption of Jade Power.

This was the manifestation of ’Fire,’ one of the fundamental systems of the Immortal Talisman.

Fire represents the explosive, sublimating, and releasing forms of energy.

Yi Beidou retracted his power, and the jade flame instantly vanished. The Jade Power in his palm condensed into a solid cube.

Its light dimmed, becoming so dense it seemed to have a physical form.

Yi Beidou abruptly hurled the cube. The object, composed entirely of energy, shot forward like a stone. It traveled for at least several kilometers before suddenly disintegrating into nothingness.

This was the manifestation of ’Earth,’ representing the stable, deep, inert, calm, and inclusive states of energy.

Next was the ’Wood’ transformation of energy.

Instead of expanding outward, the Jade Power clung to Yi Beidou’s body, spreading over him.

Yi Beidou felt his cells become unusually active under the stimulation of the Jade Power. With a light swipe of his hand, he severed his own wrist. Before any blood could spill, tendrils of flesh instantly entwined the wound, and it healed in a flash.

Until now, Yi Beidou’s regenerative abilities had never quite matched the level he’d experienced on Penglai Immortal Mountain. But now, he could.

This was the effect of the ’Wood’ Immortal Talisman form, which manifested as energy’s affinity for life and its ability to stimulate growth.

Jade Power itself already possessed some effects of the Wood-attribute Immortal Talisman. The Penglai Earth Immortal must have been a master of this path; the magnetic field of the entire Penglai Immortal Mountain had been imperceptibly altering the internal energy structures of its inhabitants, thereby enhancing their regenerative capabilities.

Then came ’Water’.

The Jade Power dispersed into a cloud of mist, demonstrating energy’s characteristics of diffusion and permeation.

Finally, there was ’Metal’.

The Jade Power in Yi Beidou’s palm condensed into a small point, releasing a brilliant light like a star.

’Metal’ represents the ’converging’ characteristic of energy.

Such is the Five Elements system of the Immortal Talisman.

In practice, however, these systems are not used in isolation; they must be coordinated and combined.

For example, to deploy an energy system represented by ’Metal,’ one must incorporate the structure of an ’Earth’ Immortal Talisman for support.

Without soil and rock, metal cannot be gathered and formed. The same principle applies to energy. If converging energy lacks a stable structure to contain it, it will rebound uncontrollably upon release, failing to unleash its true power.

The same logic applies to Fire. By adding the support of ’Wood’ and ’Earth’ talisman structures, the energy’s eruption becomes more violent, and its combustion more stable and enduring.

The Immortal Dao Jade Book only taught the fundamentals of Immortal Talismans. The specific composite structures were left for Yi Beidou to explore on his own.

Yi Beidou’s expression grew taut. The Jade Power in his palm rapidly changed color, transforming into a ball of burning Black Flame. The Black Flame pulsed softly as its internal structure seemed to shift, condensing further and further until it resembled a carving of a flame made from amber.

The instant this Black Flame Jadeite formed, the color drained slightly from Yi Beidou’s face, and a vein bulged on his forehead.

’The drain on my Physical Ability is immense. More importantly, the toll on my mind and spirit can’t be quickly replenished.’

Yi Beidou took a deep breath.

Using Immortal Talismans was taxing enough. Compounded by the drain from the Black Flame itself, an ordinary Saint Realm practitioner’s body would likely have been overwhelmed. Only his Celestial Demon Body could withstand it.

’But the power should be impressive.’

Yi Beidou muttered to himself. With a flick of his wrist, the Black Flame Jadeite floated from his palm and dropped toward the sea below.

Without a sound, the Black Flame Jadeite slipped beneath the waves.

A flicker of anticipation crossed Yi Beidou’s face.

「The next moment.」

BOOM!!

A terrifying explosion erupted from beneath the waves. A torrent of Black Flame burst from the sea and shot toward the Sky, engulfing everything within a nearly five-hundred-meter radius. The shockwave radiated for several kilometers, kicking up a massive surge of water. The thunderous roar threw the nearby Donghua Fleet into a brief state of chaos.

"What’s the situation?! What was that noise?! Why does it sound like a tactical nuclear bomb exploding?"

"Could it be an enemy attack? Quick, check the situation! All hands, condition one, prepare for battle!"

"..."

The Warriors were all on edge. Fortunately, the fleet’s high command had already spotted Yi Beidou walking through the air earlier. Speculating that he was the likely cause of the disturbance, they immediately dispatched a drone to investigate.

"Alert canceled, alert canceled! It’s that Mr. Yi’s doing. He seems to be testing some kind of... Technique?"

"My God, such a large area, such a terrifying commotion... a being of flesh and blood can do that? If he attacked us, how many of those could our fleet withstand?"

"If it was him, then I suppose it’s not all that surprising. Let’s report the situation immediately."

...

At the epicenter of the explosion, vast quantities of seawater, vaporized by the intense heat of the Black Flame eruption, rose into the Sky, only to fall back down as a torrential rain.

Yi Beidou stood in the Void, untouched by the downpour.

’High cost, impressive power. But given the body’s limited energy, this doesn’t seem like the optimal choice for destroying an enemy. It can only be a trump card.’

’I’ll need to research more practical Immortal Talisman combinations.’