Chapter 594: Killing Intent

Let alone their individual strength, they could remain undefeated by relying on their vastly superior mastery of Arrays alone.

That was why the True Body Realm Great Demon laughed. In his eyes, Jiang Qiu was acting like a naive Little Demon who had never seen the world. He was ignorant of the Spirit Fruit Forest’s greatest strengths and was just putting on a show.

He was boasting about using some Secret Technique for creating Phantom Clones in exchange for a True Body Spirit Fruit—a fruit that could help a being above the Transformation Realm break through to the True Body Realm.

The True Body Spirit Fruit was one of the rarest fruits in the Spirit Fruit Forest’s possession. While it didn’t guarantee a Cultivator above the Transformation Realm would break through to the True Body Realm, it would certainly help them progress and greatly increase their future chances of a breakthrough. Because of this, the entire Spirit Fruit Forest had very few in stock. Even he himself had once gone to great lengths and made an extraordinary contribution just to obtain a single one.

For many years, every single True Body Fruit had been tightly controlled by the higher-ups and never given to outsiders. After all, they barely had enough for their own people, so why would they give any to outsiders?

Outsiders couldn’t offer the resources the Spirit Fruit Forest demanded, so they couldn’t get a True Body Fruit. Meanwhile, factions that *could* afford it wouldn’t bother making the trade, because most of the time, the True Body Fruit simply wasn’t valued that highly.

The True Body Fruit was the type of treasure that only increased the *probability* of reaching the True Body Realm; it wasn’t a guarantee. That was the crux of the issue. Most powerful members of the Demon Race were unwilling to trade for it. If they made the exchange and failed to break through, they’d lose their shirts.

And Jiang Qiu wanted to trade a mere Secret Technique for their most precious True Body Fruit. It was utterly laughable.

Jiang Qiu was unconcerned by the True Body Realm Great Demon’s ridicule, but the Exiled Great Demon at his side was stunned. He never imagined Jiang Qiu would be so generous, offering up a Secret Technique right from the start.

While the Great Demon from the Spirit Fruit Forest might be ignorant of Jiang Qiu’s identity, the Exiled Great Demon was far more aware. Though his status as a Celestial Spirit hadn’t been confirmed, Jiang Qiu was undoubtedly touched by a divine aura, making him someone well worth following!

Along the journey, he had gotten a small taste of Jiang Qiu’s methods. They were completely unheard of—unlike any Secret Technique that should be possible to master in the First Celestial Realm. This was why he was so respectful, and even felt a spark of longing. ‘If only Jiang Qiu would teach me a little something, too.’

But he also knew that his own value to a Celestial Spirit was minuscule, certainly not enough to be worthy of receiving a Secret Technique. So, he had kept this desire to himself the entire journey. He never expected that Jiang Qiu would now choose to trade a Secret Technique with the Spirit Fruit Forest for a True Body Fruit!

Of course, he knew about the True Body Fruit. It was one of the rarest Spirit Fruits under the Spirit Fruit Forest’s control, and its price was exorbitant. A Great Demon in the True Body Realm would have to empty their entire fortune to trade for one. Yet, it still couldn’t guarantee a breakthrough to the True Body Realm. It could only serve as an aid; one still needed the Talent to be on the verge of a breakthrough for it to work.

For someone like the Exiled Great Demon, who had once surpassed the True Body Realm and approached the very pinnacle of power, such an item was a terrible deal. He would never make that trade himself. But the things Jiang Qiu possessed… now *that* was real treasure!

Although he had yet to witness the Secret Technique Jiang Qiu mentioned—the one where a Phantom Clone could take the place of one’s True Form—he had a gut feeling that it was incredibly powerful. It might just overturn everything he thought he knew.

In truth, as a powerful Exiled Great Demon who had once been a top-tier existence beyond the True Body Realm, he had mastered many Secret Techniques himself. But they were all rather rigid and orthodox, lacking a certain… flair.

His attacks were just attacks, his defenses just defenses—all of it was quite ordinary. They might have a few minor effects, but they weren’t dazzling and lacked any real ingenuity.

But the legendary gods were different. He had once entered divine ruins and witnessed some of the things they had left behind. The effects displayed by their Secret Techniques were nothing short of celestial.

Unfortunately, the True Body Realm Great Demon from the Spirit Fruit Forest knew none of this. He found the situation too laughable to continue talking to this group of ignorant fools. So, he released his oppressive aura. “I don’t have time to waste on you. Leave now, or I’ll make my move.”

If he weren’t still wary of the Exiled Great Demon, whose Realm had not yet completely faded, he would have attacked long ago. He thought nothing of Jiang Qiu, One-tailed, and Ah Xiong.

Now, feeling as if he’d been made a fool of, he didn’t want to waste any more words. ‘I’m being toyed with by this Exiled Great Demon and a few nobodies above the Transformation Realm he scraped up from somewhere.’ He was getting angry.

So he unleashed his full Cultivation, which was on the verge of breaking past the True Body Realm. The pressure was overwhelming, placing him at the peak of the second tier of power. Even the Exiled Great Demon frowned.

‘Yes,’ the Exiled Great Demon thought, ‘I can’t beat him.’ He had lost to this demon many years ago. Since then, his opponent had only continued to improve, while his own Realm was constantly declining. ‘How can I possibly deal with him now?’

‘But things are different now. I might not be able to beat him, but Jiang Qiu and One-tailed possess a divine aura. I’m not the protagonist here. I just need to wait patiently on the sidelines.’

And indeed, that was what happened. The moment the Great Demon unleashed his oppressive aura, One-tailed leaped lightly from Ah Xiong’s palm. Her lithe body landed on the ground like a blooming, blood-red lotus. As always, her feet were bare. Her toes, like a row of pink Pearls, remained unstained even as they touched the soil, as delicate as White Jade.

She walked toward him, step by step. A red string tied around her ankle held a Bell that chimed melodiously. Her scarlet eyes seemed to reflect the entire world, and a fluffy white tail swayed behind her with each step. She looked weightless, completely unaffected by his pressure.

The True Body Realm Great Demon’s brow furrowed slightly. He could sense that One-tailed didn’t possess the aura of a particularly high Realm. It was purely her personal presence that was so astonishing—to be able to resist his pressure was simply unheard of.

Still, he didn’t believe One-tailed was some supremely powerful being. ‘After all, I’m a whole High Realm stronger than her. I’m considered formidable even across the entire First Celestial Realm. Why would I need to worry about someone from the Demon Race who’s only around the Perfection level of the Transformation Realm?’

At this thought, the True Body Realm Great Demon cast all else aside. ‘If they’re determined to provoke me, then it’s time to kill.’ He struck out with his palm. The clouds overhead roiled as a boundless Gale condensed into a terrifying palm strike. It was powerful enough to severely injure a strong demon in the Early Stage of the True Body Realm. For any demon below that Realm, the outcome was, without exception, certain death!

As the palm descended, nearby trees bent low and the grass swayed violently. The force was so terrifying that the very soil caved in. Yet, One-tailed continued to walk forward calmly, her silver-white hair fluttering in the wind.

BAM!

One-tailed’s figure was obliterated. The strike was powerful enough to devastate the land for hundreds of meters around. The True Body Realm Great Demon let out a cold laugh, unable to sense even a trace of her aura. ‘Clearly, she’s dead. Now, it’s time to teach Jiang Qiu and the others a lesson.’

But then, scarlet lines suddenly flickered in his vision…