Chapter 238 - 232: Death Fight in the Turbid Current

Chapter 238: Chapter 232: Death Fight in the Turbid Current

"HUFF... HUFF..."

Fu Juemin gulped down mouthful after mouthful of air.

Each inhalation seemed to suck the surrounding space into a vacuum, and each exhalation turned into a wave of scorching heat, expanding his inhuman, oppressive force field layer by layer.

Detonating that drop of Innate Primordial Liquid, condensed from 20 points of the Life Attribute, had been a shockingly bold experiment.

But the final result was far better than Fu Juemin had ever anticipated.

None of the things he had worried about came to pass.

The vast Vital Energy produced by the Innate Primordial Liquid’s explosion had not only unearthed the deeper potential of his three Talents—Copper Hide, Soft Bone, and Meat Mountain—but had also fiercely "reinforced" his physical body. The balance between the three Talents remained, even more stable than before, avoiding a runaway Frenzy like the time he’d used Three Souls Unleashed.

If Three Souls Unleashed was a comparative failure, then this path to the Second Form of his Demon Body was, without a doubt, the right one.

The only side effect was that the three Demon Souls—the Black-Scaled Snake Demon, the Iron-Maned Demon Boar, and the Tai Sui—had been thoroughly agitated, boiling over from the stimulus. Countless primal urges belonging to a Demon Fiend’s instincts—to slaughter, devour, and destroy—sprouted like weeds in his mind, impossible to extinguish or cut down. His consciousness began to approach that of a true Demon Fiend, becoming exceptionally savage and bloodthirsty.

Just like when Fu Juemin first stumbled upon the Demon Body stance, this Second Form was still far from perfect, both mentally and physically. It would require slow tempering and adjustment.

But one thing was undeniable.

No matter how terrifying his four-meter-tall form was, the feeling of power that the Second Form brought—a sense that he could control everything—was deeply satisfying.

He took a slow step forward. The hard, rocky ground beneath his feet silently cracked and sank. Fu Juemin appeared before the water monkey as if he had teleported, his massive shadow enveloping it.

The water monkey, so arrogant and aggressive just moments ago, now lay collapsed on the ground at a bizarre angle, its sternum shattered. Its white fur was soaked a ghastly crimson with its own blood.

Veins bulged on its face, and its bloodshot eyes were fixed on Fu Juemin. Its single remaining finger twitched with great effort—

"HUMMM!"

The Black Heavy Spear, which had fallen to the ground not far away, suddenly let out a sharp hum. As if controlled by an invisible hand, it shot up in an instant, transforming into a black lightning bolt aimed straight for Fu Juemin’s brow!

"WHOOSH!—"

But the piercing sound of it tearing through the air lasted only a moment before abruptly stopping.

The Black Heavy Spear hung strangely in midair, stopped by a massive, inhuman hand wreathed in thick, dark mist as it was gently raised.

There was still a clear distance between the tip of the spear and the palm, yet it seemed to be blocked by an invisible, dense force field, unable to advance even an inch.

With a calm expression, Fu Juemin closed his five fingers. The Black Heavy Spear let out a pained "KRR-RACK—" as if unable to bear the strain, and was crushed into a twisted ball from a distance.

Fu Juemin tossed the "Master Devourer" weapon aside like trash, his gaze falling back to the water monkey at his feet.

In its near-death state, the water monkey’s potential seemed to have been further excavated. That strange Soldier Control Skill seemed to have broken through to another level, becoming much stronger than before.

It hadn’t been able to use this technique—directly controlling a weapon from afar to harm someone—before.

"You’ve stolen so many of my Martial Arts. It’s time to pay the tuition."

Fu Juemin looked down at the water monkey, his crimson demon eyes devoid of emotion. His tone was calm. "Your Talent... I find it quite interesting."

With that said, a giant palm rose and pressed down silently.

The chill of death seized the water monkey in an instant. A low growl rumbled in its throat, its eyes filled with unwilling madness.

But just as the giant palm was about to strike—

"BOOM!!!"

The muddy crest of the flood beside Fu Juemin suddenly exploded! A terrifying black shadow, as massive as a hill, burst from the water in a surprise attack without any warning!

The Old Turtle Spirit, which had vanished without a trace along with the floodwaters when the Du Mountain Reservoir collapsed, had secretly crept near the two at some unknown time, only revealing itself now.

Perhaps it had been hiding here all along, originally intending to cooperate with the water monkey and wait for an opportunity to cut off Fu Juemin’s path of escape for good.

It just never expected that the water monkey would be the one at death’s door, forcing its ambush to become a rescue.

This ancient Old Turtle didn’t use any discernible method, but before it burst out, Fu Juemin hadn’t detected the slightest trace of its demonic aura. It was just like when he had used the Great Medicine to bait the turtle and had been completely unaware of the water monkey’s presence.

Fu Juemin’s Demon Soul Perception had "failed" twice in a row.

The leaping Old Turtle was unbelievably fast, like an enormous reef suddenly crashing into him.

Its massive body generated an incredibly fierce wind pressure. Fu Juemin’s descending palm abruptly changed direction. Countless wisps of black, misty qi frantically collapsed and condensed on his Profound Scale-covered fist as he turned and threw a punch!

"BOOM!"

Mixed within the terrifying, explosive roar was the crisp sound of something shattering. He seemed to have broken something.

But there was no time to check. As if hit head-on by a speeding steam freighter, his four-meter-tall Demon Body was sent flying!

"BANG!"

Fu Juemin landed far away, his thick legs plowing two deep furrows into the rocky ground. Dust and steam shot into the sky.

He barely paused after landing. The moment he stabilized himself, he kicked off the ground and charged right back!

But in that brief instant, the cunning Old Turtle Spirit had already turned its body. With an exceptionally nimble twist, it slipped back into the surging yellow waves with a "SPLASH."

The water monkey that had been lying on the ground also vanished along with it.

Seeing this, a crimson light flashed in Fu Juemin’s eyes as if it were tangible. The savage killing intent in his chest, catalyzed by his Demon Souls, could no longer be suppressed and exploded outward!

Without any hesitation, he leaped into the surging, all-devouring flood!

"SPLASH—"

The surging, muddy current just barely submerged Fu Juemin’s body. His four-meter-tall Demon Body allowed him to stand on the riverbed, preventing him from being swept away by the current.

But the countless tons of muddy yellow water rushing down every second were like ten million stampeding wild horses, constantly crashing against his Demon Body, trying to crush him and carry him away.

Fu Juemin swung his arm, smashing a grinding-disc-sized boulder that was being swept down by the current into powder with a single palm strike. He faced the flood’s crest without retreating a single step, like an immovable reef wedged firmly in the raging torrent.

In his ears, there was only the roar of the all-engulfing flood.

As far as he could see, there was only churning murkiness. Heaven and Earth seemed to have become a vast, hazy expanse of yellow.

In his Demon Body state, Fu Juemin couldn’t activate Yao Ling. He could only rely on the Perception of his Demon Soul Seed to determine the location of the Old Turtle that had entered the water.

The reef-sized Old Turtle hid within the boundless flood, its body and its aura both vanishing without a trace.

However, Fu Juemin did manage to catch a faint trace of the water monkey’s aura. That wisp of aura was currently struggling, bit by bit, to move upstream against the flood!

’Trying to run back to the reservoir?’

’Use the underground current at the bottom of the reservoir to escape?!’

Fu Juemin’s brows furrowed. He was just about to leave the water and give chase on the bank.

But the aura suddenly stopped. Then, without any warning, it abruptly changed direction! Instead of fleeing, it borrowed the immense power of the water and charged straight toward his position at a shocking speed!

"BOOM!"

A crest in the distance exploded, and a massive black Old Turtle faintly revealed half its body amidst the countless churning, muddy waves.

Even for this ancient demon monster, who had cultivated in the water for many years, it was like a small boat in this mighty flood, at the mercy of nature’s power, in danger of capsizing at any moment, able only to drift with the waves.

Fu Juemin saw from a distance that a figure, soaked to the bone with its white fur stained with blood, was clinging desperately to the Old Turtle’s head. It struggled to raise its own head, its gaze piercing through the distance to lock onto him.

In those eyes, which looked like they were about to bleed, was a monstrous hatred even more torrential and violent than the flood beneath it!

Fu Juemin instantly understood why the two demons had suddenly turned back.

’It’s still not willing to accept this!’

’It hasn’t given up!’

Even though it was grievously wounded and on the verge of death, the water monkey... was still willing to bet everything, wanting to use the power of this immense flood to drag him down to hell with it!

As Fu Juemin figured this out, the corners of his mouth began to pull up, little by little, into an irrepressible grin.

It finally spread into a smile that was almost savage, yet brimming with ultimate excitement.

The crimson light and savagery in his eyes were not frightened away by the water monkey’s suicidal counterattack. Instead, it was like pouring hot oil on a fire, and they blazed up furiously!

"You’ve come..."

He licked his lips. His Demon Body crouched slightly, and the turbid black flames coiling around him flared up again, growing ever thicker and more violent.

"Perfect."

The muddy torrent rages; foes meet on a narrow path.

The brave live.

The coward... dies!