Chapter 377 - 368: New Demon Body

Chapter 377: Chapter 368: New Demon Body

The Thousand-eyed Blood Bat, wreathed in layers of blood-red mist like a colossal crimson cloud, glided silently from the depths of the Imperial Palace. It soared over the Four-Nine Square City, causing countless citizens along its path to look up, then fall to their knees and kowtow in fearful worship.

Only those with exceptional eyesight could see a figure seated cross-legged atop the Thousand-eyed Blood Bat’s head.

He looked like a Foreign Monk in red and yellow robes. He had a bronze complexion, and his entire body was covered in bloody gashes half a finger long.

His eyes were closed, and he held a Seal cupped in both hands. The Seal emitted a faint white light. He sat atop the Giant Bat’s head as if he had taken root, the two of them appearing as a single entity.

The Thousand-eyed Blood Bat left the Imperial Palace and flew straight into the western sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Not long after the Blood Bat departed, another commotion stirred within the ancient Imperial Palace.

A short time later, an enormous, majestic Giant Deer—like a creature from a bygone era—and a bizarre, one-horned, bipedal Giant Bull also emerged from beneath the ground, likewise racing toward the west of Yingjing.

The spectacle of three Great Demons passing through shook all of Yingjing City!

News spread like a hurricane through the ranks of the Nine Banners—a new Second Grade Great Demon had appeared in the Western Suburbs...!!

Instantly, countless Nine Banner Youth grew ecstatic.

They called their friends and companions, mounted swift horses, and raced to join a "grand hunt" the likes of which might not be seen again for decades, or even a century.

More than half of Yingjing City was plunged into an inexplicable frenzy!

.......

RUMBLE!

Beneath a massive, black vortex of roiling thunderclouds, a huge and murky mass of air abruptly burst apart.

The dense miasma receded like a tide, and in the void, a four-faced, eight-armed phantom dissolved into the surroundings...

Amid the scattering smoke and firelight, a figure slowly emerged.

The figure was curled inward, arms wrapped around its chest and eyes tightly shut, like some unnatural being newly birthed from the world’s chaotic energies.

The figure plummeted from the sky, and just as it neared the ground, its closed eyes suddenly snapped open without warning—

revealing a pair of eyes that blazed like molten gold!

WHOOSH—

Fu Juemin let out a long breath as his entire body stretched out, unleashing a heaven-storming wave of Demon Qi!

’Flood Dragon Level!’

CLACK CLACK CLACK—

Amidst the sharp, dense clacking of his Fire Centipede Steps, he looked down to survey his brand new Demon Body, completely reforged by his breakthrough.

The entire Demon Body stood only four meters tall, its proportions approaching perfection.

From his ankles to his neck, his body was covered in vertical, diamond-shaped clusters of inky crystal that resembled inverted feathers.

The Crystal Clusters grew fainter above his collarbones, giving way to numerous flame-like markings. These markings extended from his jaw, across his cheeks, and up to the space between his brows, where they converged into a single vertical flame of Chi tinged with Purple.

His long hair floated behind him, flickering like flames.

The number of Scorpion Tails growing from his coccyx had increased to three, and they coiled around his waist like living creatures.

Compared to his previous Flame Monarch form, his body seemed to have shrunk, but in reality, he had become many times "larger."

The "largeness" was due to the Fire Centipede Steps on his back.

Innumerable Fire Centipede Steps unfolded from Fu Juemin’s back. Each leg was now much thinner, narrower, and significantly longer than before.

As these steps extended in unison, the flames and molten fire flowing from their joints linked together, creating the appearance of two bizarre and ferocious giant wings.

Fu Juemin now exuded an aura of ornate mystery, a sense of fluid and gradual change.

’Six Souls, not Seven Souls... [Lifting Power] wasn’t included.’

Fu Juemin slowly descended, but his ankles remained suspended a short distance above the ground.

In the gap between, the air blurred and distorted, as if pools of thick, inky liquid were dripping from his body.

But a closer look revealed that the "ink stains" weren’t dripping down at all. Instead, vast swathes of shadow were gathering at his feet, flowing up through the air to merge back into his body.

’After breaking through that barrier and officially stepping into the Flood Dragon Level, my original Flame Monarch Demon Body was completely reforged by the Dharma Form.

’The combination of Talents is more perfect and logical.

’The key is not the number of Talents that form the Demon Body, but the extent to which the potential of each individual Talent has been unlocked...’

For example, his [Celestial Star] Talent had increased the number of Scorpion Tails on his Demon Body to three. After entering his Demon Body state, these three Scorpion Tails would automatically enter a state of "Star Force Gathering," ready to fire Celestial Star Force from their tips at any moment.

Of course, he could still use [Tail Star]. The potential of his [Hundred-legged Fire Walk] had also been massively developed. Not only had the number of Fire Centipede Steps increased to several dozen, forming what looked like wings made of centipede legs on his back, but the fiery might of the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede had also been drastically enhanced. The flames he now commanded had evolved from their original orange-red to a purplish hue.

Fu Juemin hadn’t forgotten that the flames the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede had unleashed back then were a dark purple.

Those terrifying flames had been able to melt a watchtower over ten meters tall, made entirely of reinforced concrete, in a matter of seconds!

Then there was [Shadow Control].

At a mere thought from Fu Juemin, the layer of inky Crystal Clusters on his body instantly "melted," transforming into an enormous, constantly flowing orb of black liquid that slowly expanded outward.

"Shadow Realm!"

Fu Juemin stood at the center of the liquid black orb. With a glint in his eyes, he reached out and tapped a finger forward.

Instantly, the orb exploded, shattering into countless irregular shadows that shot out in every direction, hugging the ground!

Fu Juemin’s figure vanished the moment the orb exploded, reappearing a moment later in one of the distant shadows.

’This should be called... [Shadow Escape]?!’

The effect of [Shadow Realm] was to deploy a field of shadows around his body, a field that possessed some ability to resist and weaken external attacks.

[Shadow Escape], on the other hand, was a step beyond his original "shadow walking" ability. When the [Shadow Realm] exploded, he could instantly conceal himself within one of the resulting shadows, allowing for an instantaneous escape to a distant location.

It was far faster than any normal means of movement and was an excellent tool for both offense and escape.

Fu Juemin felt these many changes within himself and was extremely pleased.

In essence, his New Demon Body was the result of a secondary development and reorganization of all six Demon Soul Talents that composed it. It was somewhat similar to the Demon Body’s Second Form he had previously devised.

The difference was that this new development was not temporary or a one-off, but permanent and stable.

’True. If not for this, I could never have reached the true Flood Dragon Level.’

Fu Juemin reckoned his current strength was comparable to the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede from the Friend Mountain Mine. He lacked the profound reserves the Centipede had accumulated over untold years by devouring countless living beings. Apart from a deep dive into the potential of his six Demon Souls, there was simply no other way to bridge the immense chasm between a human body and a true Demon Fiend’s body, to ascend from the Elephant Level to the Flood Dragon Level!

Of course, now that he had officially stepped into the Flood Dragon Level, his consumption of Innate Primordial Liquid had also increased exponentially.

His once ample combat stamina had now returned to a state where he had to pinch every penny and make every second count.

’But I also have an advantage that normal Demon Fiends can’t possess...’

After taking a moment to carefully experience his new state, Fu Juemin looked up at the swirling vortex of clouds that refused to disperse. A glint in his eyes, he thought, ’The strength of my Demon Body is controllable. As long as I control my power—or rather, as long as the Demon’s Force Field I naturally emit doesn’t exceed a certain threshold...

’...then the lightning in the sky can never fall on me.’

Just as he was thinking this, suddenly—

A flagrant and terrifying aura of a Demon Fiend, as blatant as a signal fire on the horizon, appeared within Fu Juemin’s Perception.

Fu Juemin instinctively looked up. Reflected in his pupils was a conspicuous crimson cloud, rapidly approaching from the direction of Yingjing City....