Redemption of a Born Demon

"I also hope that you all can cooperate in good faith. Otherwise, while my own personal strength may not match yours, I have plenty of ways to make your lives miserable from now on."

Lotus’s gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes sharper than ever.

He was telling the truth. He had people among the top brass of every major nation, many of whom held key positions. They were pawns he had gradually corrupted and brainwashed over many years with his Lotus Mark, bringing them under his complete control.

This time, to cause enough chaos throughout Gibraltar, most of these pawns would likely be exposed and eliminated.

"Don’t worry. Even if we succeed in capturing the target, we couldn’t possibly abandon you to explore the secrets of the Ancestor Realm alone. As a Spirit Cultivator, your abilities are superior to ours."

"So, who is the target this time?"

the King of the Wheel of Reincarnation asked.

"Ditru of the Realm of Rebirth, of course. When Siddhartha chose to break into the Realm of Rebirth back then, it certainly wasn’t a random act. There must be a great secret hidden within."

"Everyone, remember: I will be in command. We must all strike at the same time and do our utmost to capture Ditru in a single blow. Otherwise, if we let them summon the Celestial Monarch’s true body, all our efforts will be for naught."

"Once we have him, we must retreat immediately. I will find a way to move Ditru. Only then can we consider contending for the Spiritual Talisman."

Lotus said in a low voice.

"We also need to watch out for that young man, Yi Beidou. He has likely already mastered ’Immortal Power.’ It’s best to avoid him when we make our move. He’s an even greater threat than the Divine Sealing Leader."

Just then, the East King suddenly spoke up.

"That young man is indeed difficult to deal with, but he isn’t our primary target this time. As long as we’re fast enough and our actions are covert enough, we won’t have to worry about the threat he poses."

"Besides, he is still a mortal. Even if he can use ’Immortal Power,’ the drain must be immense. In your last battle, Fellow Daoist Dong Wang, if you had pressed on, the outcome might have been uncertain. The impending missile explosion might just drain a great deal of his stamina and significantly reduce his combat effectiveness."

Lotus said.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city.

A man and a woman stood waiting quietly in the shadows of a street corner. The street was almost completely deserted, save for patrols of local soldiers, but they seemed completely unable to detect the two figures.

The woman wore a classical Western-style long dress. Her features were graceful and elegant, her skin as translucent as crystal.

The man was dressed in a white Ancient Greece-style robe that revealed his powerful muscles. His face was as handsome and dazzling as the sun.

They were none other than Lady Crystal and the Thunder King, the pair who had recently attacked Yi Beidou.

They seemed to be waiting for someone.

Suddenly, the Void on the opposite street corner seemed to warp. A figure stepped out abruptly, as if emerging from a time portal.

He wore a simple, old-fashioned monk’s habit. His face was unremarkable, save for a pair of exceptionally bright eyes.

The man took a single step, and as if using the art of Shrinking Inches, he appeared before Lady Crystal and the Thunder King.

"Tsk. Holy Fire. I never thought I’d see the day the Judicial Court cooperates with us, the Illuminati. Speaking of which, are you really the only one who has awakened in the Holy Garden?"

A playful smile hung on the corner of the Thunder King’s mouth.

"I alone am enough."

the Holy Fire Apostle said flatly.

「Elsewhere.」

A figure, completely shrouded in a black robe, its appearance obscured, stood still. With every breath it took, dust on the ground around it would rise and fall, even forming miniature tornadoes.

Beside this figure was a tall man clad in Golden Armor.

Both were Sleepers from the Abyss Court.

One was known as the Disaster God of Kuangsha; the other was the Golden City Lord, whose emergence in the North America Region had recently caused a massive stir.

They too were waiting for something.

A short while later, the space around them suddenly began to stir. The scenery seemed to dance, and a low, melodious tune faintly reached their ears.

Wondrous, mystical, primal, harmonious...

It was enough to make one’s mind dazed and captivated.

In that brief moment of distraction, a figure had already appeared before them.

It was a man with his hands in his pockets, wearing a baggy sweatshirt, adorned with numerous pendants, and a graffiti-covered baseball cap—a very post-modern, trendy look.

It was an outfit difficult to associate with the ancient beings who had slumbered for countless years.

"Spirit Summoner Kada?"

Kuangsha’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the man who had appeared like a phantom.

"The one and only."

The man’s voice was androgynous, like the gurgling of a clear spring.

"I didn’t expect that not only would someone from your Original Vein show up this time, but that you would actually contact us to cooperate."

"What is your real objective?"

the Golden City Lord asked, his sharp gaze fixed on Kada.

The Original Vein was the most mysterious of the world’s seven hidden factions. They had always preferred to act alone, participating in the scramble for ruins far less frequently than other powers, and their numbers seemed to be extremely limited.

But their power was undeniable. Anyone who came from this Vein had, at the very least, condensed an Immortal Soul.

They rarely competed for ruins, yet they seemed to have no shortage of Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood. This led many to suspect their leader might occupy a large, ancient Earth Immortal Grotto Heaven, an object of covetous desire for many.

But the fact that the organization had not vanished from history because of this was proof enough of their strength.

"I am merely here to better listen to the tides of this era. I have already glimpsed it—that single, thrilling note of the overture."

Kada replied as if chanting a hymn.

’A psycho.’

Kuangsha and the Golden City Lord exchanged a look. They had already formed their judgment of this man.

But it didn’t matter. They had only come together for mutual benefit. As long as this guy could pull his weight and share their burden, nothing else was important.

Besides, it wouldn’t be difficult for the two of them to suppress him if they worked together.

And it wasn’t just these ancient factions.

"Devi, are you sure you don’t want to contact the people from the God-Sealing Alliance? Donghua has already reached an agreement with them. From a certain perspective, it’s possible for us to cooperate with them as well."

Earth Giant God Yuri said in a low voice to the handsome young man beside him.

"You can go. I have no interest in those old fossils who cling to the Jiuyue. Besides, Yi Beidou is there."

"I don’t care about the Spiritual Talisman. Ancient ruins? So what? Earth Immortals? So what? None of that is what I want. I came here this time for one reason, and one reason only."

"To use the new power I’ve mastered and turn this city into my stage. In this performance, even that man is fit only to be a dim star, serving only to set off the brilliance of the sun and moon."

Devi said calmly, displaying immense confidence.

Spurred on by Yi Beidou, his power seemed to have made another great leap forward.

Within the city, the masters from the various factions had already reached a preliminary agreement. They would launch their attack just before the Spiritual Talisman’s final pulse.

However, their plan was not destined to go smoothly.

「On the roof of Kunca Mansion.」

The Five Divine Sect Leaders and the Donghua Martial Artists stood to one side. In the center of the roof, where a helipad should have been, Yi Beidou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

"What is he doing? Why did he have the entire city locked down and the airspace restricted?"

Ditru muttered to himself, watching the figure.

The other Divine Sealing Leaders harbored the same confusion in their hearts.

Just then, Yi Beidou slowly raised a hand.

BOOM!!

A surging Demon Flame ignited around him. One after another, Tribulation Stars materialized as Jade Power coalesced and spread.

The three powers spiraled toward his fingertip.

As he pointed his finger toward the sky, the three powers fused completely.

A terrifying, bone-chilling aura swept over the crowd. A single wisp of flame, as black as polished jade, appeared on Yi Beidou’s fingertip.

The next moment.

BOOM!!

The Void itself seemed to instantly ignite from that single wisp of flame, a surging Black Flame spreading rapidly in all directions.

Ten meters.

A hundred meters.

A thousand meters!!

For an ordinary expert, besides Spirit Cultivators, the power of most magnetic-field Divine Powers would diminish greatly a hundred meters from the body. To be able to spread five hundred meters was already considered terrifying, let alone a thousand.

And this was only the beginning. It was far from Yi Beidou’s limit.

Spreading, it was constantly spreading!

As far as the eye could see, the Black Flame blotted out the sun. It was as if the sky itself had been set ablaze!