Even though the Fire Demon’s body was tough, it was now beaten to pieces, with most of its flesh torn away, exposing ghastly white bones.
Even the splintered fragments of bone were clearly visible.
But this dying Fire Demon’s eyes were full of unwillingness.
Even as it felt life draining away, it still stubbornly held on.
Lose your humanity, lose much; lose humanity, lose everything.
Bai Yue’s earlier words echoed in its mind, and the Dao Resonance within its body began to circulate again.
The Fire Demon’s four eyes shut tightly.
It looked like a dead dog, lying there as Yan Hua’s arm struck its body, but it made no sound of pain, only silently enduring as the Dao Resonance within it grew more and more intense.
Bai Yue watched with growing anxiety.
She saw at a glance that the Fire Demon was entering enlightenment once more.
But she was powerless.
All she could do was stare at the battlefield, hoping the fight would end soon.
She clenched her fists tightly, unable to resist silently cheering for Yan Hua in her heart.
Yet she was afraid any sound would disturb her, so she kept all her hopes buried deep inside.
“Lose your humanity, lose much; lose humantiy, lose everything…”
The words echoed again and again in the Fire Demon’s mind.
Suddenly, with a “boom”, its consciousness plunged into memories.
It was the Extreme Cold Land, covered in white snow.
Bitter winds howled, stinging like knives as they cut across the skin.
This was the ancestral land where the Ancient Demon Race of Fire Demons had lived for generations.
The Fire Demons had always grown up in this land of freezing cold.
In the icy world, a wretched scream sounded.
It was a strong female Fire Demon in labor.
As each baby Fire Demon was born, the female’s aura grew weaker, her voice hoarse.
She finally lost all strength after birthing the last one, collapsing in the snow.
This final little Fire Demon was especially weak, much smaller than its siblings—a clear sign of innate frailty.
The surrounding Fire Demon Clansmen shook their heads, clearly doubting the little one’s chance of survival.
But for the Ancient Demon Race, birth was only the beginning of the trial.
The harshness of this Extreme Cold Land went far beyond its temperature.
From the moment the little Fire Demons were born, they faced their first battle.
And their opponents were their own siblings.
Go.
Cannibalism among kin, like raising gu worms; only the strongest was worthy of survival in this world of ice and snow.
Survival of the fittest was an unchanging tradition of the Ancient Demon Race, a law etched in their blood.
The little Fire Demon stared in terror at its siblings tearing and devouring each other.
It was born unusually perceptive, even able to faintly recall memories of its previous life.
In its former life, it had been an ordinary vagrant in the World of Cultivation, wandering as a refugee during a time of famine.
Along the way, people starved to death, hunger slicing through their stomachs like a dull knife.
To survive, people gradually became mad, twisted; when the last food was gone, those who fell became “Food” for the living.
In the end, it couldn’t escape either, despairing as it was torn apart and eaten by crazed people.
“I don’t want to be eaten anymore! I want to become the predator! I want to become strong!”
Hatred from its previous life and the will to live in this one surged within.
The little Fire Demon hesitated no longer and threw itself into the cannibalistic slaughter.
It tore and devoured its siblings with madness, even as its own body was gnawed to tatters, its eyes remained bloodshot, fighting desperately.
Eat eat eat eat eat eat eat!
It became an “it,” a mad beast.
In the end, amid blood and carnage, this naturally weak but ferociously wild little Fire Demon became the sole survivor.
But the humanity in its eyes was long gone.
Its blood-red gaze slowly turned toward the exhausted mother Fire Demon.
The Fire Demon Clansmen were stunned, watching as it crawled to the female and, amid her screams, began yet another round of devouring.
Such a sight had not been seen in thousands of years among the Ancient Demon Race.
“Heaven bless the Ancient Demon Race. At last, a devourer has been born among us. It is destined to become the most dazzling Heaven’s Chosen of our clan.”
The Grand Elder of the Fire Demons knelt devoutly toward the gray sky.
At once, all the Fire Demons knelt together.
The world became deathly silent, save for the whistling wind and the sound of chewing.
“Lose your humanity, lose much; lose humanity, lose everything.”
At this moment, the Fire Demon’s torn throat was like a broken bellows, still repeating Bai Yue’s words, the hoarse cry piercing the eardrums of all present.
Its aura changed drastically.
The Enlightenment Realm cultivation that had been suppressed by this world shattered its chains and returned with force.
Even more shocking, its body—shattered by Yan Hua—began to regenerate at a terrifying speed.
Flesh squirmed, bones snapped into place, and its form became even stronger than at its peak.
The Fire Demon floated slowly into the air, glaring down at Yan Hua, and growled:
“Now that I have re-entered the Enlightenment Realm, who can stop me? Who can block my path?”
Its savage fangs pierced its lips, and its ferocious gaze locked onto Yan Hua.
“This time, I’ll tear you apart completely, monster. You’re nothing but a pile of writhing flesh!”
Before the words finished, the Fire Demon’s body ripped through the air, mouth inflating like a balloon.
It roared and spat out a massive fireball wreathed in blazing flames.
Yan Hua was caught off guard and struck.
Flames engulfed her instantly, countless arms charring and crumbling in the heat.
A strange, burnt smell filled the air.
The tide of battle shifted in an instant.
The Fire Demon sneered, turning its greedy gaze toward Bai Yue.
“Now it’s your turn, Mysterious Woman Beyond the Heavens. Any last words? Tell me your secrets, and maybe I’ll give you a quicker death.”
The meaning of Bai Yue’s words had pushed it into enlightenment, and it realized Bai Yue’s value, eager to extract more secrets to aid its breakthrough.
Bai Yue did not respond.
She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes glued to where Yan Hua had fallen.
At that moment, the pile of charred flesh suddenly moved.
Yan Hua slowly crawled from the wreckage, new flesh writhing beneath burnt skin.
She staggered in front of Bai Yue, spreading broken arms to shield her Master.
“Just you, monster, want to protect the Mysterious Woman Beyond the Heavens too?”
The Fire Demon mocked with a laugh.
“Your ghostly form will frighten her to death!”
“Master…”
Yan Hua turned, her blood-red eyes filled with grievance, voice trembling.
“Am I a monster?”
Bai Yue rushed forward, gently cupping Yan Hua’s scorched face in her hands.
Her fingertips tenderly wiped away the ash from her cheeks, her voice soft as water.
“Silly Disciple, how could you be a monster?”
Seeing Yan Hua’s eyes lingering on her broken arms, Bai Yue couldn’t help but pinch her cheek with a smile.
“This is my precious Disciple’s battle form. Super cool, alright!”
Even in this desperate moment, there was not a trace of fear in Bai Yue’s eyes as she gazed at Yan Hua.
She bent down, gently kissed Yan Hua’s charred, twisted arm, and pressed her lips softly onto the carbonized skin.