Chapter 62: The Demonic Path

## Chapter 62: The Demonic Path

"This is..." Ye Chen, observing his inner self, never imagined such a formidable power lay hidden within his own body.

Upon closer inspection, he was startled to discover peculiar runes crawling across his bones, like intricate curse patterns. Accompanying this was a sensation of fiery heat consuming his form, and a sudden, painful jolt echoing through his skull.

"This feeling again," a wave of dizziness washed over his mind, bringing to mind the scene in the inn at the Youming Black Market. Swiftly, that surge of violent, bloodthirsty power enveloped his entire being.

"Ah...!" The intense pain forced a low roar from between his gritted teeth.

"Hmm?" Lu Zhi, facing the oncoming assault, narrowed his eyes, seemingly sensing the raw, bloodthirsty energy.

"Open for me!" With a furious roar, Ye Chen, borrowing the strength of that violent force within him, forcibly shattered the suppression of Lu Zhi's spiritual energy pagoda.

*Wu wū wū!*

*Wu wū wū!*

Suddenly, the sound of wailing spirits seemed to rise, and waves of malevolent demonic qi surged from within Ye Chen's body. This aura was violent, bloodthirsty, and chillingly cold, sweeping through the surrounding debris of shattered stones and broken trees.

And at this moment, his form underwent a dramatic transformation.

His thick, black hair, with visible speed, turned crimson. His dark, deep eyes were now illuminated with a blood-red light. A demonic pattern materialized between his eyebrows, and as it appeared, his momentum surged dramatically.

"Demon... demon..." Seeing the transformation, Lu Zhi's pupils widened in disbelief, and he instinctively recoiled a step.

"Ah...!" The intense pain caused Ye Chen to clutch his head. His conscious mind was gradually being swallowed by violence and bloodlust. At this moment, he truly resembled a great demon.

Seeing Ye Chen's transformation into what seemed like a being consumed by inner fire and entering a demonic state, Lu Zhi's gaze turned ruthless. Sword in hand, he advanced. Ye Chen's transformation was too bizarre, instilling fear within him. He only desired to eliminate Ye Chen as quickly as possible to avoid future complications.

*Zheng!*

He made his move without mercy, a dim sword light piercing through the air.

*Pu!*

Blood splattered as Lu Zhi's sword pierced through Ye Chen's body.

Yet, in response, Ye Chen simply lifted his head, his blood-red eyes fixed on Lu Zhi. He licked his lips, a strange smile playing on his face.

Lu Zhi's spirit trembled. Being stared at by Ye Chen felt like being scrutinized by a malevolent demon; a chill ran from his head to his toes.

"You want to kill me?" Ye Chen's smile grew more sinister. Violent, bloodthirsty demonic thoughts filled his entire mind, clouding his consciousness. But a human instinct remained: if Lu Zhi sought to end him, he would not passively await death.

Without waiting for Lu Zhi's reaction, Ye Chen raised his fist and sent him flying with a single blow.

*Pu!*

As he flew backward, Lu Zhi coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Ye Chen's strike was clearly far more overbearing than before. Perhaps aided by that violent power, the single punch fractured three of his ribs. His body hit the ground, shattering a large stone. His eyes were filled with shock. "You...!"

"Kill!" With a thunderous roar, Ye Chen, enveloped in demonic qi, charged forward like a great demon.

"Suppress!" In a moment of crisis, Lu Zhi once again controlled his spiritual tool pagoda, sending it pressing down from above.

However, this time, his efforts were not as effective. Primarily, after transforming, Ye Chen's speed had also escalated, rendering the spiritual tool pagoda fundamentally unable to keep pace with his ghost-like movements.

Seeing this, Lu Zhi flipped himself up, his hands quickly forming seals. Over a dozen sword lights *zheng ming*-ed out, aimed directly at Ye Chen.

*Pu!*

*Pu!*

*Pu!*

However, the charging Ye Chen showed no inclination to dodge, allowing the sword lights to carve out bloody gashes on his body.

"You...!" Lu Zhi instinctively retreated a step, feeling the tide of demonic qi surge towards him. He felt as though he wasn't facing a person, but a great demon, a mad great demon.

"Kill!" With a resounding roar, Ye Chen unleashed a palm strike.

Lu Zhi, seeing this, held his sword horizontally in front of his body.

*Kā chā!*

Instantly, his long sword was shattered by Ye Chen's palm, and he himself was sent reeling backward, spitting blood.

"Shattering Spring Finger!" Although forced to retreat, Lu Zhi immediately unleashed a secret profound art.

*Pu!*

As before, Ye Chen showed no defense, and a bloody hole was punctured in his body.

And in that instant, he once again swung his arm, a Thunder Palm strike sending Lu Zhi spraying blood once more.

The great battle reignited.

This time, it was Lu Zhi who was being relentlessly pressured. After transforming, Ye Chen's speed and power seemed to surpass his own.

Most importantly, Ye Chen showed no regard for defense, simply unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. And he, due to his fear of Ye Chen's demonic form, felt a sense of timidity in battle, losing the battle intent a True Yang realm cultivator should possess.

*Pu!*

As Ye Chen's sword pierced through Lu Zhi's chest from front to back, this segment of the great battle finally concluded.

Looking at the Ye Chen before him, Lu Zhi's eyes bulged, filled with fear. Blood continuously gushed from his mouth.

Perhaps, it was at this moment that he truly regretted it, regretted not yielding to lust and pursuing Ji Ning Frost, leading to his miserable demise in this desolate mountain.

"Do you... do you want to see who I am?" Facing Lu Zhi, Ye Chen's smile was strange. He seemed to be gradually adapting to this demonic form, allowing his mind to slowly recover. He remembered the great grievance of that day when Lu Zhi had crippled his dantian.

With that, he slowly removed the ghost-head mask, revealing a clear and handsome face.

"You... how is this possible? I clearly crippled your... your dantian!" Lu Zhi's pupils widened, his face filled with disbelief.

How could he have imagined that the Qi Gathering realm cultivator he was battling was actually a disciple of the Zheng Yang Sect whose dantian he had previously crippled? And how could he conceive that a person whose dantian had been destroyed could not only cultivate again but also undergo a demonic transformation?

Everything was beyond his comprehension.

Ye Chen had already put the ghost-head mask back on. Just as his form had merged with the mask, he truly resembled a ghost-headed great demon from hell.

"In your next life, do not provoke those you should not," Ye Chen's eyes turned cold. True qi mixed with demonic qi infused into the Chi Xiao Sword, directly shattering Lu Zhi's heart meridians.

A biting cold wind assailed them, and Lu Zhi's body fell to the ground, his eyes remaining wide with disbelief until the moment of death.

Having extinguished Lu Zhi, Ye Chen's body swayed.

He was dripping with blood. The battle with Lu Zhi had left him severely wounded. Had he not awakened a certain demonic bloodline within him at the critical moment, he would surely have been killed on the spot.

*Pu!*

The biting cold wind still howled, causing him to fall forward.

Heaven and earth, in this moment, fell silent. Faintly, after Ye Chen collapsed, the demonic form gradually dissipated. His blood-red hair returned to its original black, and the demonic qi vanished without a trace. The demonic pattern between his eyebrows also slowly scattered, and he reverted to his original form.

It was unclear when, but a rustling sound echoed from the depths of the jungle. Upon closer inspection, it was Ji Ning Frost, covering her shoulder and staggering as she searched. When she saw Ye Chen and Lu Zhi lying scattered on the ground, she hurriedly rushed over.

Seeing Lu Zhi's lifeless body, Ji Ning Frost was filled with shock. A True Yang realm cultivator, Lu Zhi, had actually been killed by a Qi Gathering realm cultivator. With her experience, she found it incredibly difficult to explain any of this.

Moving her gaze from Lu Zhi's body, Ji Ning Frost approached Ye Chen's side.

"Still breathing." Seeing the slight rise and fall of Ye Chen's chest, Ji Ning Frost slowly exhaled a breath of relief.

"If not for you saving me today, I would surely have died." Words of gratitude, naturally, were few. Looking at Ye Chen lying on the ground, still wearing the ghost-head mask, a sense of curiosity arose in Ji Ning Frost's heart.

Prompted by this curiosity, she couldn't help but extend her jade hand, slowly reaching towards the ghost-head mask Ye Chen wore, wanting to see the true appearance of her savior.

"My savior, what do you truly look like?"

(End of Chapter)