Volume 4: Slaying the Demon
Chapter 13: Dancing with the Devil
Yin Feng's eyes widened in terror, and then his breath ceased forever.
Dugu Baitian's body swayed unsteadily before he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Yin Feng's flying dagger, imbued with that innate sword energy meant to be a certain kill, had indeed injured Dugu Baitian. The dagger had truly pierced into his lower abdomen. However, the innate sword energy contained within the dagger, before it could erupt, was surrounded by the ceaselessly flowing internal strength within his body and then channeled down through the meridians in his feet into the earth.
At that time, Yin Feng, momentarily drunk with success, hadn't noticed the cracked earth beneath Dugu Baitian's feet. By the time he was immersed in the immense joy of having slain the Undying Demon, fantasizing about future glories, the sickle of Death had already cleaved open his chest.
Dugu Baitian circulated the divine art within his body. With a pfft sound, he forced a small, exquisitely crafted, gleaming flying dagger out of his body. The wound sprayed a few drops of blood before beginning to heal automatically. The dagger was three inches long, incomparably sharp, with a hazy mist swirling around its body. The paper-thin blade faintly shimmered with flowing light. Dugu Baitian narrowed his eyes, constantly turning this sharp divine weapon over in his hands. "It's practically a work of art. That old bastard really had some good stuff. Hmm, this will be one of my secret weapons."
Dugu Baitian found a secluded spot and began to meditate. After all, following the bitter battle, he had sustained some internal injuries, coupled with the wound on his lower abdomen. He didn't dare be the slightest bit careless. Now that the entire world was hunting him, he had to maintain his peak condition at all times.
He quietly regulated his breathing under a large tree, purple energy swirling around his body. His expression shifted between ferocious and calm, unpredictable. After a long time, he rose to his full height. "Indestructible Golden Body! The Indestructible Golden Body!"
Just then, he suddenly felt someone spying on him. His immensely powerful Emperor-level divine sense immediately surged out like a tidal wave, spreading out in all directions. The spy, clearly sensing the power of Dugu Baitian's divine sense, released an equally vast and powerful divine sense that rushed forth to confront it head-on. The two forces of divine sense met in the air. BOOM! The powerful mental force field blasted the surrounding trees into splinters, which fluttered down like snow in the wind.
This was clearly another Emperor-level expert. Their divine senses continuously clashed in the air. The invisible force field gradually radiated outward, affecting an increasingly larger area. Tall trees continuously toppled and shattered into dust. It was a terrifying hidden battle. Dugu Baitian hadn't even seen the other party's figure, yet this intangible contest was even more dangerous than a real fight with weapons. Once defeated, one could face eternal damnation, remaining an imbecile for life.
Abruptly, the unknown expert's divine sense receded like the tide. But Dugu Baitian had no intention of letting them go so easily. His immensely powerful Emperor-level divine sense chased after it like raging, towering waves.
BANG!
He felt his divine sense crash into an intangible wall. His mental power waned sharply, and he quickly concentrated his spirit, withdrawing all his divine sense.
The forest fell deathly quiet, without a sound.
Dugu Baitian's face was pale, his body drenched in sweat. He felt utterly drained. It took a long time for him to recover. The forest was still silent, devoid of any sound or presence. He tentatively released his divine sense again, but the forest had long lost the aura of that Emperor-level expert. His expression turned somewhat gloomy. "Who was that? To be able to retreat so easily at the last moment and block my divine sense... Such a terrifying expert just made a feint and left, just like that? This..." He couldn't make sense of it.
"When will I be able to use my divine sense for attack during battle?"
An autumn wind blew past, sending yellow leaves dancing.
Dugu Baitian brushed back his disheveled long hair and began walking out of the mountains. If he couldn't figure something out, he stopped thinking about it. As for that group of experts in the mountains, let them live in constant fear and anxiety. Let them also experience the terror of facing the threat of death at any moment. Thinking of this, a cold smile involuntarily surfaced on his lips: "My friends, I have returned."
He estimated he could leave these mountains in half a day. However, in the distance, he saw a tall figure. The figure stood there quietly, clad in a large black robe that completely concealed their form. Their entire head was wrapped in black cloth, with only two holes for the eyes, revealing a pair of bright eyes like cold stars.
By instinct, Dugu Baitian knew this was an expert, but definitely not the Emperor-level expert from the forest. He stopped when he was three zhang away from the black-robed figure. "Who are you? Why do you block my path?"
"I am your friend. I wish to speak with you." The black-robed person's voice held no emotion, making it impossible to discern their age or gender.
"Friend? In today's world, do I still have friends? Hahaha..."
The black-robed person said, "Truly, we are fellow travelers. We really are friends."
"How can I believe you?"
"I am a disciple of the Devil Cult. Like you, I am also rejected by the righteous path. We share a common enemy."
"Hmph! The Devil Cult? Didn't the legends say the Devil Cult and the righteous martial world once joined forces to deal with the legendary Undying Demon?"
"That was in the distant past, a historical mistake. In that remote era, the righteous path and the Devil Cult did indeed cooperate, hunting the Undying Demon across the world. But after the Undying Demon perished, the righteous path began slaughtering Devil Cult disciples on a large scale, severely damaging our vitality. From that time on, we have been at a disadvantage against the righteous path. Cooperating with the righteous path is undoubtedly making a pact with a tiger. This was the Devil Cult's greatest mistake. These were the faults of our ancestors, and also the Devil Cult's most painful lesson. Now, everyone in the world is hunting you, Brother Dugu. Only our Devil Cult has not sent a single soldier. Renowned experts of the righteous path have called upon all heroes, saying there is no distinction between righteous and evil now, that all heroes are one family, and everyone should unite to deal with the Undying Demon together. But not a single one of our Devil Cult members participated. We are the only force standing on your side, Brother Dugu. Do you still not believe in our sincerity?"
Dugu Baitian sneered, "There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. In the distant past, for common interests, you cooperated with the righteous path to slay the Undying Demon. Now, again for some unknown interest, you cooperate with me, someone who is not a demon but is called one, to deal with those so-called righteous path. It truly makes one sigh at the words 'human heart'."
The black-robed person said, "Brother Dugu, you may misunderstand. We truly come with utmost sincerity, absolutely without any ulterior motives. As you can see, the righteous path's power grows ever larger, becoming increasingly arrogant, overbearing, and unreasonable. They have long lost their righteous spirit. If we allow them to continue growing unchecked, it will be an internal rot and decay for the entire martial world. The martial world will become foul and chaotic, and there will be no more justice to speak of."
"Hehe, what a joke. A Devil Cult member talking about righteous spirit and justice? This is the biggest joke I've ever heard."
The black-robed person said, "Brother Dugu, you are mistaken. It is true that there are those within the Devil Cult who commit evil deeds, but they are only a minority. Most are passionate individuals who act according to their nature. Aren't you, Brother Dugu, now also spurned and hunted by the vast majority of the world? But we know you are absolutely a chivalrous and righteous man. Although you once sacrificed yourself to become a demon, we know you have truly not become one now. It was those so-called righteous people constantly forcing you that led to your great slaughter at the peak of Cloud Mountain."
Hearing these words, Dugu Baitian's face shifted between ferocious and calm, unpredictable. After a long time, his expression finally returned to normal. "Given my current situation, alone and without support, I'm hardly worth your efforts to curry favor. Speak, what does your Devil Cult truly want from me? I don't like beating around the bush."
The black-robed person stared at Dugu Baitian for a long time before speaking. "Brother Dugu... Sigh! We truly wish to cooperate with you, and of course, there are indeed some areas where we seek your assistance. Since that's the case, I will be completely frank with you. You should know that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. You and we should be considered friends now. But even if we join forces, and even after your martial arts reach great completion, our combined strength might still be somewhat isolated. You might not believe how vast the power behind the righteous path is, but I can tell you clearly, what you see now is only the tip of the iceberg. The immense force lurking in the shadows is beyond your imagination."
Dugu Baitian said coldly, "Speak. What exactly do you need me to do?"
"I would like to invite you, Brother Dugu, to come with me to the Devil Cult's main altar, to help us rescue several peerless experts."
"What peerless experts?"
"Peerless experts who were sealed away in the long ages past."
"What?" Dugu Baitian's expression changed slightly.
Seeing this, the black-robed person couldn't help but look somewhat anxious. "As long as you, Brother Dugu, rescue these experts, we will gain a powerful force, increasing our chances against the righteous path by a significant margin. Of course, there will certainly be immense benefits for you, Brother Dugu. I happened to be present that day at Cloud Mountain Peak during your great slaughter. I observed that at the final moment, you had succumbed to emotion and entered the demonic state. But now, it seems you... If I'm not mistaken, you are currently forcibly suppressing the demonic nature, using a secret method to achieve the Indestructible Golden Body. But doing this..."
Dugu Baitian's expression changed abruptly. In an instant, he erupted with an immensely powerful aura. "You know too much. Sometimes, knowing someone else's secret isn't necessarily a good thing."
"Wait! Hold on, Brother Dugu, don't act hastily! We know nothing else about your affairs. We only learned through a special method that you have achieved the Indestructible Golden Body, and thus deduced that you are suppressing the demonic nature within you. But we vaguely sense that this is not beneficial for you. Perhaps at some moment, the demonic nature you've suppressed might suddenly erupt uncontrollably. Maybe you are not yet aware, but the Indestructible Golden Body has another name within our Devil Cult: the True Devil Body..."