Chapter 45: Losing One’s True Nature Means Being Possessed

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Losing One’s True Nature Means Being Possessed

"I knew early on that Lord Li was no ordinary person. How could an ordinary person come up with an unheard-of football match?"

"Exactly! Rumor has it that Lord Li comes from a Fourth-class Civilization. A world with Immortals is only a Third-class Civilization. The world Lord Li belongs to is a whole level higher than that of the Immortals!"

"Storybooks are just storybooks, after all. Who would have thought that Immortals don’t cultivate in the mountains with pure hearts and few desires, but instead use a method like football matches to cultivate right in the middle of a bustling city? Those books are so misleading!"

"The players on the field recover from their injuries so quickly. What else could it be but Immortal Techniques? Hu fancied himself smart, actually claiming it was some kind of Illusion Technique..."

"Illusion Technique, my foot! When Hu heard that football was the path to cultivating immortality, he ran to the entrance of the youth academy bright and early to kneel there, shamelessly begging to join. It’s absolutely hilarious."

"Lord Li said that each prefecture can organize its own football matches, as long as they register with the league. If we can’t play in the Planet Cup league, do you think we could comprehend the path of immortality by organizing our own match?"

In this world that had virtually zero exploration of the universe, the concept of civilization classification was nothing short of dropping a massive bombshell. Unlike on Earth, the civilization classification in this world was personally stated by Li Ye, a visitor from a higher civilization. There was also the factual basis of the powerful healing seen on the football field, backed up by the endorsements of Martial Arts World bigwigs. Most importantly, the civilization classification was reported by the official Football Newspaper.

It was a layered progression. Even a baseless rumor, when repeated by enough people, could become accepted as the truth, not to mention the fact that so many spectators at the football field had witnessed it with their own eyes. With everyone talking about it, the concept of civilization classification and the claim that playing football was the orthodox path of cultivation spread rapidly by word of mouth among the common people. Moreover, the vast majority believed it without a shadow of a doubt.

Tickets for the few home games at Sirius Valley were incredibly hard to come by. Those who believed in the civilization classification bought tickets hoping to comprehend Cultivation Techniques from the matches, while those who didn’t believe wanted to use the matches to prove that Lord Li was nothing but a fraud. In short, fueled by the classification of civilization levels and football cultivation, the league completely blew up in popularity.

At the Weining City Government Office, Emperor Xiang Ying, dressed in plain clothes, sat in Wei Mingze’s study. Spread across the desk were all the published issues of the Football Newspaper, along with player profiles from various football clubs.

These past few days, football clubs had been springing up like mushrooms after rain, with each club racking their brains to glorify their players. However, unless they had Grandmasters like Huaiyi and Yu Hai holding the fort, ordinary players simply couldn’t make any significant waves. After all, they had never actually stepped onto the field, and there were far too many of them. They might have had a reputation in the Martial World, but in the eyes of the public, they had no distinguishing features whatsoever.

The ones who truly rose to prominence by riding this tailwind were the original members who had started out with Lord Li—people like Shi Xiang and Liu Guangsheng. Now, their names were known in every household. In just two or three days, even the most inconspicuous members of the Fun People Club had skyrocketed to become Innate Masters by leeching off this massive wave of popularity.

Xiang Ying remained silent, flipping through all the football-related materials page by page. The more he read, the deeper his frown became. Wei Mingze knelt on the floor, sweating profusely. Finally, Xiang Ying set down the last document. He let out a sigh and looked out the window. "To think that my majestic Great Chu is merely an unrated First-class Civilization. Are we no different from primitive monkeys eating raw meat and drinking blood?"

Wei Mingze wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking quickly on his feet. "Your Majesty, those higher civilizations have easily developed for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years. Compared to them, Chu Country is, at best, a toddler just learning to walk. Given time to grow, we might not necessarily be inferior to them."

"Minister Wei, do you also believe in this civilization classification theory?" Xiang Ying turned back, looking at Wei Mingze with a faint, enigmatic smile.

Wei Mingze froze for a moment. Recalling Li Ye’s eccentricities, he took a deep breath. "I wouldn’t dare deceive Your Majesty. Looking closely at Li Ye’s actions, they are far beyond what any ordinary person could achieve. This so-called civilization classification is laid out in a logical, step-by-step manner. I believe it must be true.

"Your Majesty, even if Li Ye’s words are an exaggeration.

"Just looking at his Divine Abilities, he must hail from at least a Second-class Civilization. Acquiring knowledge of a higher civilization from him—even if it isn’t enough to break the shackles of a First-class Civilization—would still be more than enough to let our Chu Country soar into the skies. I believe this is an opportunity for Chu Country, and an opportunity for Your Majesty."

"My Celestial Master was crippled by him and hung outside Sirius Valley as a public spectacle," Xiang Ying snorted. "He has used this so-called league to ensnare all the factions in the Martial World. If he decides to rebel, what am I supposed to do?"

Wei Mingze reached up to wipe his sweaty forehead again and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Li is heavily injured. He merely wishes to use this opportunity to heal his wounds and return to the cosmos. Just as Your Majesty wouldn’t fight a troop of monkeys over a barren mountain, Lord Li comes from a higher civilization; I imagine he has no interest in the throne of Chu."

He was risking it all. The Football Newspaper had been launched by him, and the football lottery had been issued by him first. Now, everyone in Weining City was talking about football, entirely tying Wei Mingze’s fate to Li Ye’s. If Li Ye fell, his own end would undoubtedly be too gruesome to look at.

Xiang Ying let out a scoffing laugh. "Are you saying that in Lord Li’s eyes, I am nothing but a Monkey King in the wilderness?"

"Your Majesty is exceptionally wise and mighty; naturally, you are no Monkey King," Wei Mingze said with trepidation, forcing an apologetic smile. "It is just that we lack an understanding of the universe outside. Once you understand it, Your Majesty will definitely be able to secure a place for Chu Country in the cosmos."

"You certainly have a way with words." Xiang Ying laughed involuntarily, then shook his head. "Wei Mingze, you don’t need to flatter me. I know exactly what state Chu Country is in. Lord Li controls such a massive force. Given enough time, if he wishes to usurp my throne and take my place, it would only take a single word from him."

Though he didn’t want to admit it, deep down, Xiang Ying had already concluded that Li Ye was from a higher civilization. The Demon that Xiangli had obtained must have come from the same place as Lord Li. The so-called Demonic Qi was actually Spiritual Power; they just hadn’t known how to use it properly.

"Your Majesty, I believe..."

Wei Mingze wanted to say something else, but Xiang Ying cut him off. "Tomorrow is the match between the Qingcheng Sect and the Fun Seekers. Arrange a seat for me; I want to watch the game in person. Do not leak any information about me."

"Yes," Wei Mingze replied, momentarily stunned before agreeing.

Meanwhile, Li Ye’s Demon Qi had grown explosively. By now, his sensory coverage had expanded to over twenty li. Under the enhancement of the Demon Qi, the explosive speed of his purely physical body was already on par with a Grandmaster’s. His strength felt utterly limitless; he could effortlessly hurl boulders weighing several thousand pounds. Even when he wasn’t in a football match, injuries like bone fractures could heal in an instant. He had no idea about the situation of other Time Travelers, but at this very moment, Li Ye felt like Superman.

However, despite being heavily eroded by the Demon Qi, Li Ye remained completely lucid. This led him to wonder: Did those Demon Hunters who lost themselves really do so because of the Demon Qi’s erosion? Could it not have been due to the wild ambitions brought about by the rapid expansion of their Demon Qi? Possessing such formidable power, with authority and wealth practically at their fingertips, were Demon Hunters truly willing to dedicate themselves selflessly, constantly putting themselves in danger just to fight Demons?

On Earth, the Demon Hunting Bureau could retract Demons at any time, restricting the growth of Demon Hunters. But because Time Travelers were in the Otherworld where they couldn’t be controlled, a one-year deadline to recall the Demons was established. This was why the restriction that ’excessive use of Demon Qi would lead to a loss of self’ had been imposed on them... Was all of it just a method to control Time Travelers? There were far too many things Li Ye couldn’t figure out.

"What are you thinking about?" the Team Emblem’s voice echoed in Li Ye’s mind.

"Nothing," Li Ye said, shaking his head. His cooperation with the Team Emblem was currently going well, and he didn’t intend to give it any ideas about controlling him.

The Team Emblem didn’t care about Li Ye’s response. Its voice continued to ring out in his mind, carrying a trace of excitement. "Li Ye, do you have any idea how much my Demon Power has swelled these past few days? Even without devouring the other two streams of Demon Qi, I can already effortlessly sever my connection with the Demon Suppression Tower! You’re an absolute genius."

THUMP!

Li Ye’s heart seemingly skipped a beat as he asked, "Hui, then are you confident you can take out the other two streams of Demon Qi?"

"I don’t know. Without coming into close contact, I have no way to judge their strength," the Team Emblem said. "Besides, you’re the one fighting them, not me. I’m trapped inside this team emblem, what can I even do?"

Possession? Did "losing one’s true nature" actually just mean possession?! Hearing this, Li Ye instantly became highly vigilant. From the very beginning, it had been striving for freedom. The first step was escaping the Demon Suppression Tower. The second step would probably be breaking free from its confinement as a Demon and directly possessing the Demon Hunter! Possessing a real body that it could control on its own—that was true freedom...