On the snowfield, Spirit Perception Realm Great Demons marched forward side by side. The Centipede Spirit coiled atop a black bear three zhang tall, half its body raised upright, appearing horrifying amidst the frozen world of ice and snow.
With their arrival, demons began appearing from other directions as well. Viewed from the sky, demon creatures crisscrossed the snow in every direction like a black tide, all rushing toward Yuan Li.
Yuan Li advanced while carrying a blood-colored hurricane. With each step he took, his aura continued to grow stronger.
His body was gradually recovering. Now only the half of his body below the shoulder was continuously melting into blood essence.
His facial features had changed somewhat. Compared to before, he appeared more resolute, as though he had aged ten years.
His physique had even grown taller. All of this stemmed from the awakening of the Undying Overlord Body.
As he moved forward, strands of forceful energy coiled around his hands. That was not vital energy, but the power contained within the Undying Overlord Body itself.
In his eyes, the figures of his predecessors ahead stopped one after another, as though encountering enemies, and began fighting.
They seemed to have halted, yet as he continued advancing, the distance between him and those figures did not shorten.
Yuan Li watched for a while and realized they were not merely fighting—they were guiding him. This made him even more focused. Even when heavenly thunder struck down, he did not care.
When heavenly thunder fell upon him, it was not that he could not feel pain. On the contrary, it was the ultimate agony. It blasted apart his flesh, and the reshaping of his body was also painful. Yet he no longer feared pain—he even seemed to enjoy it.
Each bolt of heavenly thunder could scatter his flesh, leaving only white bone behind. And because of it, his aura grew ever stronger, while the speed at which his body recovered continued to increase.
The trembling of his blood essence persisted, producing visible shockwaves to the naked eye. The strikes of heavenly thunder made those shockwaves even more intense.
Led by the Centipede Spirit, the Great Demons watched Yuan Li from afar and did not dare approach easily. They could already hear his heartbeat—fierce and powerful, shaking the heart and soul.
“What kind of physique is this?”
“Throughout history, only bodies blessed by heaven and earth could attract tribulation. Yet among all the legends, there has never been such commotion.”
“His blood essence is too strong. Great King, we must not approach lightly. His power is wrong.”
“His body is recovering so quickly. Could he be one of the legendary long-lived races?”
“The Demon Teacher truly did not miscalculate. As long as we obtain this body, Great King will pass the trial and enter the Demon Emperor’s sight.”
The Great Demons discussed excitedly, while the Centipede Spirit said nothing and merely stared at Yuan Li.
Finally.
From the northern direction, a violent tiger demon came rushing over, swift as the wind, bringing with it a bloody gale as it pounced toward Yuan Li.
Its appearance caused the Great Demons to halt.
This tiger demon had likewise stepped into the Spirit Perception Realm. Its forelimbs were abnormally strong. As it ran, its muscles coiled like tree roots, and its tiger roar pierced through both thunder and the pounding of Yuan Li’s heart.
This was a ferocious and powerful demon!
It leapt into the air and raised its tiger claw. The claw alone was larger than Yuan Li’s entire body.
Yuan Li stared straight ahead. His right arm suddenly lifted—so fast it left afterimages. It was as though he casually raised his arm to the side and struck once.
Yet across the air, he blasted apart the tiger demon’s powerful demonic body.
Blood mist blossomed. Flesh and bone scattered!
With a casual wave of his hand, the snow within a hundred zhang around him was shaken into motion, surging upward like a thousand-layered wave.
The Great Demons were all shocked by this sight.
“Retreat first!”
The Centipede Spirit’s voice rang out, heavy in tone. The other Great Demons dared not object and all withdrew together, though their gazes never left Yuan Li.
Yuan Li’s strength did not only intimidate these Great Demons—even Li Qingqiu above the sea of clouds was shocked.
Above the cloud sea, Li Qingqiu stood upon the Clear Sky Sword, concealed within the snow mist as he overlooked the scene below.
“What terrifying physical strength. That strike just now—no Spirit Perception Realm cultivator could have withstood it.”
Li Qingqiu was inwardly astonished. Though he had always believed the Undying Overlord Body would be frighteningly strong—after all, it was a rare ancient physique in the mortal world, containing the great fortune of heaven and earth—
He had never imagined it could be powerful to such a degree.
Yuan Li had not even fully awakened yet. He was still growing stronger.
Yuan Li’s might invigorated Li Qingqiu, sweeping away the gloom of recent days.
He was happy for Yuan Li, and also for himself.
It had not been in vain that he had deliberately reserved one Fate Trait selection opportunity for the Undying Overlord Body.
“Li’er, let your master see where your limit lies.”
Li Qingqiu thought to himself. For this calamity, he had originally intended to overcome it by himself. Once he found the mastermind behind it, he would have gone alone to kill them.
Now, he had changed his mind.
The role of the great hero could be given to Yuan Li.
He had watched Yuan Li grow up. He knew Yuan Li’s ambition and pride.
Yuan Li had always wanted to become a powerful existence who protected the Clear Sky Sect. He wanted to become a greatly admired hero, yet his strength had once been limited.
As if sensing his master’s expectations, Yuan Li’s aura surged again. A scorching white vapor covered his blood essence, forming a new hurricane that shook the clouds.
His body was still melting, but it was no longer turning into blood essence. Instead, it transformed into a stream of white vapor—dominant and overwhelming.
Wrapped in that scorching white vapor, Yuan Li resembled an immortal walking the mortal world, as though he might ascend to heaven at any moment.
The predecessor figures in his eyes began drawing closer, finally entering his forehead one by one.
Various special insights flooded into his mind, like distant memories suddenly awakening—mysterious and yet comforting.
He focused on those insights, his steps never pausing.
As time passed, demons continuously attacked him. All were instinctively blasted apart by the sweep of his arm. None could block his advance.
The Great Demons ahead continued retreating, yet they were never able to shake him off.
They were waiting for an opportunity.
Half an hour later.
Heavenly thunder still continued. The demons attacking Yuan Li grew more numerous, coming from every direction. Yuan Li merely swung his arms—without any particular technique—yet each strike released incomparably domineering forceful energy, shattering demon after demon.
Li Qingqiu also understood.
Most of the demons seemed bewitched, fearlessly throwing themselves at Yuan Li. It was caused by his blood essence.
Only the Great Demons ahead remained unmoved. Clearly, they were not simple.
Li Qingqiu’s gaze fell upon the Centipede Spirit. His instinct told him that this Centipede Spirit was very dangerous.
“Could they be the masterminds?”
Li Qingqiu wondered, but he did not intervene immediately.
It was fitting that Yuan Li should draw in the demons of the world and bring peace to all under heaven.
After this battle, he would announce Yuan Li’s achievements to the world. He would make Yuan Li the strongest and most prestigious disciple of the Clear Sky Sect.
“The scene you most wished to see has arrived. All of this is because of you. You had a good younger brother—and you were also a good elder brother.”
Thinking of Yuan Qi, Li Qingqiu felt a trace of sorrow.
He would always remember the young boy who had run around delivering messages for him.
He would always remember that night when Yuan Qi had ventured alone into the Seven Peaks Alliance. In that dim room, the young Yuan Qi had held swaddled Yuan Li in his arms and looked up at him.
In Yuan Qi’s eyes then had flickered tension, fear, and expectation intertwined.
Years later, Yuan Qi had grown up and could share part of the sect’s burden with Li Qingqiu, while Yuan Li now shone brilliantly—surpassing everyone.
As Li Qingqiu recalled the past, he suddenly saw a black tide appear at the end of the earth.
Looking carefully, it was an endless swarm of demons.
The true trouble had arrived.
All the demons of an entire province had gathered. Even countless wild beasts rushed forward. They scrambled to charge at Yuan Li, greedy, ferocious, violent.
Update speed has been somewhat slow. I will try to adjust QAQ.
As for the Undying Overlord Body, I will definitely write it toward becoming powerful.