Chapter 237 - 231: A Fine Demon, Why Bother Learning From Humans?

Chapter 237: Chapter 231: A Fine Demon, Why Bother Learning From Humans?

Fu Juemin sped down the crumbling slope.

"SWOOSH—!"

A piercing whistle tore through the air behind his head. A chill ran down his spine, and he whipped his head to the side. A glint of cold, black light, wrapped in a fierce shriek, flew past, nearly grazing his scalp!

Fu Juemin stopped abruptly, turned, and froze, stunned.

The Black Heavy Spear he had flung away had somehow ended up in the water monkey’s hands.

Moreover, the shaft, which had been twisted into knots, was now perfectly straight again. There wasn’t even a hint of a warp, and it gleamed with a cold, metallic luster under the sun.

The water monkey, taller now than it was at the Luan River—over 1.8 meters—stood before Fu Juemin. Wielding the two-meter-plus Black Heavy Spear, it cut a surprisingly imposing figure.

Fu Juemin’s gaze darkened. Vitality, like black fire, erupted from his body. He transformed into a black streak tearing through the air and lunged forward once more!

The water monkey grinned. Without dodging or evading, it thrust the spear straight at him!

"BOOM! BOOM BOOM!"

"BANG!"

The fierce clashes resumed, accompanied by a continuous series of sonic booms. Shattered rock and dirt erupted from the point of impact between the two.

It was like a replay of their earlier fight, but the roles of man and Demon were now reversed.

After several more exchanges, Fu Juemin hastily retreated. Staring at the spear that danced and flew in the water monkey’s hands, he couldn’t help but curse, "Fuck!"

The water monkey wielded the Big Gun with surprising competence. What was even more outrageous was that the Spear Technique it was using... was clearly the very same style Fu Juemin had used earlier, the one derived from the Eight Deer Forms!

Though its execution lacked Fu Juemin’s fluid, refined mastery and spiritual depth, it had somehow managed to grasp the fundamental structure of the moves and the paths of force—it had learned most of it.

To grasp the basics of an opponent’s Martial Arts and turn them to its own use after only a few moments in a life-or-death struggle...

What was this?

"Am I giving a fucking live tutorial to a Demon?!"

Fu Juemin’s face turned grim. For the first time in his life, he felt a profound sense of apprehension toward a Demon Fiend.

He didn’t fear the water monkey’s current strength, but its bizarre Soldier Control Ability, its terrifying potential, and its unbelievable growth rate!

He had been hunting Demons and other such evils for a long time and had never felt fear, no matter how powerful the Demon Fiend.

Because he knew he was human. He could rely on external aid, he had a panel, and he could allocate points!

Even if he was temporarily outmatched, given enough time, he could always find a way to deal with his enemy or just surpass them in raw power.

However, this water monkey was something else entirely.

It already possessed an incredibly blessed Demon Fiend body, was cunning and patient, and now it had somehow acquired this terrifying ability to learn...

If it was allowed to grow, given time, who knew what kind of horrifying monster it would become?

’This Demon cannot be left alive!’

A cold glint appeared in Fu Juemin’s eyes. He took a deep breath and charged forward once more.

In this second round, the water monkey’s Momentum surged with the spear in its hand. It began to turn the tables, completely suppressing Fu Juemin.

It wielded the Big Gun with such flourish it was almost a blur, the tip of the spear striking Fu Juemin’s Demon Body Copper Hide again and again, sending showers of blinding sparks into the air.

As the fight raged on, it even began to brazenly imitate Fu Juemin’s moves.

When Fu Juemin used the Deer Form to maneuver, it learned his footwork. When Fu Juemin used the Bear Form for a direct clash, it mimicked his heavy power. When Fu Juemin activated the Dragon Elephant Seal Technique, it could even imitate a hint of its fierce, majestic aura...

As the battle continued, large patches of the water monkey’s black fur fell away, replaced by sleek, white fur that spread at a rate visible to the naked eye. Its muscles bulged and swelled, knotting like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree.

In its crimson eyes, beyond the venomous hatred, a new, ancient, and tyrannical ferocity appeared, as if some dormant bloodline within it was rapidly awakening...

As one’s power grew and the other’s waned, Fu Juemin found himself losing ground more and more, his situation becoming increasingly perilous.

He fought as he retreated, forced back by the water monkey all the way to the foot of the mountain.

This was the enormous spillway created by the collapse of the Du Mountain Reservoir dam. The backed-up lake water had become a turbulent, muddy flash flood, carrying with it rocks and debris. It surged downward with world-destroying power, its roar like deafening thunder!

The muddy waves crashed against the sky; heaven and earth themselves seemed to pale.

Fu Juemin and the water monkey fought to the death on the banks of this apocalyptic torrent. In the vast expanse of the world, it seemed as if they—the man and the Demon—were the only two beings left.

"SCREEECH—"

Amid a piercing metallic screech, Fu Juemin pressed his hands together as if in prayer, tightly clamping down on the black spear tip as it spun and vibrated wildly between his fingers, unleashing a terrifying, rending force.

Just as it seemed he would suppress the formidable power of the thrust, suddenly!

From beneath the spear’s shaft, a fist covered in thick white fur, its veins bulging like worms, shot out and slammed viciously into Fu Juemin’s chest.

"BANG! CRK-CRACK—!"

The distinct sound of cracking bones exploded at the same time as the sharp snap of something hard breaking!

Fu Juemin grunted, his body reeling as if struck by a sledgehammer. He staggered back seven or eight steps, each footfall gouging a deep pit into the rocky ground.

Once he regained his footing, he looked down to see a deep, dark fist print seared into his chest. The orange-red light patterns there were shattered and dim. His formidable Copper Hide Defense had been punched clean through, leaving his skin split and flesh torn. He could even see the slight depression of the fractured bones underneath.

"White Ape Hidden Fruit?"

Fu Juemin glanced at the wound on his chest, then slowly raised his head and spoke calmly, "I only used that move once, and you’ve already learned it completely.

Truly incredible..."

Not far off, the water monkey had shed eighty percent of its black fur. Its body was now almost entirely a sleek, snowy white, making it a glaringly conspicuous sight against the muddy background.

On its face, fangs bared, the venomous hatred remained, but now it was mixed with the cruel mockery of a cat toying with a mouse and the twisted delight of impending vengeance.

It was hard to imagine such a rich range of expressions on the face of a Demon.

"ROAR—"

The water monkey tilted its head back and let out a long howl, a sound mixed with both savage glee and brutal violence.

Its long, snow-white fur danced in the wind. Amid the roar of the churning, muddy waves, the aura around it surged, transforming into waves of bone-chilling killing intent that made the air itself grow colder.

The Black Heavy Spear in the White-haired Ape’s hand began to thrum with a dangerous hum. Its killing intent locked firmly onto Fu Juemin. Then... dragging the spear so its tip carved a trench in the earth with a piercing screech, it advanced on him, one step at a time.

Before him, the water monkey’s killing intent was palpable, its ferocious aura having reached its zenith.

A few steps behind him was the vast, all-engulfing, unstoppable torrent of mud and rock.

It seemed Fu Juemin had no path of retreat left.

In a battle at the level he and the water monkey were fighting, even the machine gun bullets of his Ghost Camp subordinates would be utterly useless.

Yet Fu Juemin’s expression was exceptionally calm. He even closed his eyes, seemingly unconcerned with the slowly approaching water monkey, and simply muttered to himself, "Did you take me for nourishment?"

"Learning most of my Martial Arts, only willing to kill me after you’ve squeezed all the value out of me?"

"You’re quite the shrewd calculator."

"Since you love to learn so much..."

"Then... try learning this!"

Before his voice had even faded, Fu Juemin snapped his head up.

His face, once handsome in a demonic way, suddenly twisted into a ferocious mask.

A dense network of blue-green veins erupted across his cheeks. His eyes, once as deep and dark as ink, transformed into a cold, translucent, and inhuman scarlet Jade!

In his lower abdomen, within his Dantian, the single drop of Innate Primordial Liquid—formed from the qualitative transformation of 20 points of his Life Attribute—suddenly exploded!

"HUMMMMM—!"

An indescribable, incomparably pure, and immense wave of Vitality, like the raging torrent of rock and water outside, instantly surged through Fu Juemin’s entire body.

Fu Juemin had long known that the strength of his Talents was directly linked to his Life Attribute. The higher his Life, the stronger the Talent Abilities he could unleash.

Now, stimulated by the terrifying life energy produced from the explosion of the Innate Primordial Liquid—itself condensed from 20 points of Life—the power of Fu Juemin’s three Talents, Copper Hide, Soft Bone, and Meat Mountain, was instantly elevated to an unprecedented height!

A second mutation began!

Fu Juemin had originally been saving this move for Luo Zhengxiong; after all, Innate Primordial Liquid was difficult to accumulate.

He never expected to be forced into using it prematurely on this water monkey that had appeared from nowhere!

"BOOM!"

The instant the Primordial Liquid exploded, an unprecedented, terrifying Momentum erupted from Fu Juemin, shooting toward the heavens.

The air behind him blurred and twisted violently, and then three immense, phantom images slowly materialized: a Profound-black giant serpent, a chi-copper Demon Boar, and a Tai Sui swaying gently like a Lingzhi.

The three phantoms vanished in a flash, merging completely into Fu Juemin’s body.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! BANG!—"

The totem-like, orange-red patterns on his skin shattered, transforming into a deeper, more subdued, Profound-copper color that gleamed with a cold, metallic light.

Ghastly white bone spurs, shaped like the tusks of a demon pig, burst from his skin at the joints of his shoulders, elbows, and knees.

Fine, hard, Profound-black snake scales covered his cheeks, neck, and other key areas on his arms, like natural-born armor.

Between the gaps of the scales and spurs, intricate, mycelium-like patterns of white could be seen faintly pulsing and glowing beneath his skin...

In the blink of an eye, Fu Juemin’s form swelled to over four meters in height, only barely retaining a humanoid silhouette!

A thick, almost tangible black Demon Qi coiled around him like a living creature, churning and billowing until it completely shrouded him. A terrifying, magma-like aura flowed from every inch of his body.

At this moment, even the might of the roaring mudslide behind him seemed to pale before this pure, tyrannical, and ultimate pressure...

The water monkey, still dragging its spear, froze.

It raised its head, staring fixedly at Fu Juemin, whose aura and body had undergone such a drastic change. In its blood-red eyes, once filled only with venom and cunning, there now appeared, for the first time, an irrepressible look of horror, shock, and even... a trace of confusion.

"If you’re a Demon, you should have just been a Demon."

"Why insist on acting like a human?"

"Can you..."

"...even learn it properly?"

The instant the final syllable left his lips, a destructive aura exploded forth like a collapsing mountain and a raging tsunami!

A massive shadow flashed past!

"BOOM—!!!"

The water monkey had no time to react before it was sent flying, spear and all!

The instant it was sent flying, it was as if a terrifying force had detonated within its body, crushing it from the inside out. A series of shattering and bursting sounds erupted from all over its frame...