Martial Ascent to Divinity

The highest point of the peak is five to six hundred meters, the lowest is only two to three hundred meters.

The mountain wall is almost vertical. For ordinary Vitality Stage Martial Artists, climbing with tools is possible, but very slow.

Zhou Leng looked carefully, moved to a place on the peak that wasn't so sheer, and climbed with his bare hands.

As long as there is a bit of protrusion, even if it's just a centimeter, it's enough to be a climbing point.

When encountering smooth places, he directly used Vortex True Qi, his hands adhering to the surface.

In the dark of night, Zhou Leng ascended the peak more deftly than a gecko.

He walked to the lowest part on one side of the valley and looked down.

Below, several large tents were erected; people had lived there many days before, but...

Zhou Leng squinted his eyes, carefully observing.

The material and style of these tents are not of the human world, but the skins of some Demons.

Built by Demons.

This is a temporary encampment of Demons.

Zhou Leng's face darkened as he guessed a possibility.

"Tian Wenhua came to Demon City slightly early, tonight he moved out ahead of schedule, and he arrived here at the Demons; could it be that he has allied with the Demons..."

There were guards at the mouth of the valley, but inside the valley, there were no Demons or guards; they were all inside the tents.

In the middle of the valley, a giant tent stretched out, covering hundreds of square meters. Through the light inside, vague shadows could be seen moving.

Zhou Leng thought for a moment, then slowly descended along the cliff.

Before long, he landed on the ground.

Utilizing Lightweight Skill, with cat-like, silent Stepping Technique, he inched closer to the large tent.

He peered inside through a gap in the tent.

At the deepest part of the large tent, three stone steps led to a platform.

On the platform lay a three-meter-long wooden bathtub, its base color pitch black, its edges carved with various blue Spell patterns.

In the bathtub, the blood water bubbled gently.

Four Demon Warlocks stood on either side of the bathtub.

In front of the bathtub, Tian Wenhua stood smiling, gazing forward.

Yan Fenggang stood below the platform.

Besides these two, everyone stood opposite Tian Wenhua.

As if courtiers paying homage to an emperor.

Apart from Tian Wenhua and Yan Fenggang, blue strands of light appeared on everyone's bodies, interweaving and binding them completely.

Zhou Leng looked closely and realized these were the binding lines of the Demons.

A faint light flickered on the ground, forming the power of a Magic Array, trapping over a hundred people.

Among those bound, some were terrified, some were desperate, some were indifferent.

Tian Wenhua had already changed into Demon Purgatory-style blood-colored leather armor.

In his eyes, a blood glow shone.

On the surface of his skin, black patterns emerged, and a clump of the Blood and Flesh Tree Root slowly protruded from his chin, a foot-long, writhing gently.

Zhou Leng's gaze fell on Tian Wenhua's right hand.

His right hand held a strange, throbbing heart, as large as a human head.

Zhou Leng stared at the heart.

That heart contained immense power; if it exploded, even the Innate would be injured.

Tian Wenhua surveyed the crowd and calmly said, "I've always wanted to wash my hands of this. A few years ago, I thought, after washing my hands, every day playing cards, fishing, drinking tea with some old friends, then watching Chengchang marry, have many children, and then choose one to adopt under my name."

"For years, I had such dreams, lying on a sunlit deck chair, gently swaying, with Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties playing in my ears."

"But from last year, I suddenly realized I couldn't dream that dream anymore."

"My brother died, my nephew also died."

"Our family has no successors."

"So why the hell should I wash my hands?"

"I... I'm still too weak."

"If I had been stronger when I was young, mom and dad wouldn't have died."

"If I could advance to the Innate, my brother and nephew wouldn't have died."

"What a pity..."

Tian Wenhua lowered his head, then slowly lifted it, a twisted smile forming on his face.

"In the past, I should thank that bitch, she released the monster inside me."

"Now, I should thank the one who killed Chengchang, for turning me into a monster."

"Being human enough, being a demon for a while is quite interesting."

"I quite like who I am now, I quite like Demon Transformation."

"Ordinary Demon Transformation isn't fun; if we play, we play big."

"So, I need all of you to help, assist me in transforming, advancing to Innate."

"You all want to eat Xue Tongming's flesh, and I'm eyeing yours too."

Tian Wenhua looked around and said, "But don't be afraid, we'll take it slow, the last lucky ones will undergo Demon Transformation together, and we'll kill Xue Tongming, then..."

"Kill Zhou Leng, I don't care if he killed Chengchang or not, I just want him dead."

Tian Wenhua waved his hand, and four Demon Warlocks came down the steps, each grabbing a Vitality Stage Martial Artist, dragging them to the high platform.

The four Demon Warlocks, like skilled sheep shearers, bled, peeled, deboned, separating the bones.

They put the blood and flesh into the bathtub.

They placed the skin on the platform.

They piled bones into a skull mound around the platform.

Zhou Leng frowned, about to act, but glanced at the heart in Tian Wenhua's hand, pondering.

Before long, the four Demon Warlocks acted again, dragging away four new Vitality Stage Martial Artists, repeating the process.

Terror, despair, and hatred finally surfaced on the faces of the remaining martial artists.

The blood and flesh of the second round of four Vitality Stage Martial Artists entered the wooden bathtub.

The blood in the bathtub grew more abundant and deeper, gradually turning blackish red.

When the third round of four Vitality Stage Martial Artists was dragged away, madness filled the eyes of some trapped martial artists.

And in the eyes of some martial artists, there was a pleading look.

Zhou Leng hesitated when he saw those with pleading eyes.

Fourth round, fifth round...

When twenty Vitality Stage Martial Artists were brought to the platform, the pleading look in the remaining people's eyes disappeared.

Either a numbing silence or the final madness.

Zhou Leng glanced at the remaining people and spotted a familiar face.

Tu Rong, an informant of the Martial Guard Department.

Tian Wenhua turned around and asked in fluent Demon Language, "Can we drink the potion now?"

The four Demon Warlocks who were skinning nodded.

Tian Wenhua took out bottle after bottle of Magic Potion and drank it slowly.

His body gradually expanded and grew taller, soon reaching two and a half meters.

Standing on the platform, his right hand holding the Innate Demon Heart, he looked down as if he were a king surveying his subjects.

Behind him, black spells flowed over the surfaces of skins and bones.

A low rumble emanated from the blood bath, with fetid odors swirling everywhere.

Around the edge of the tub, black skulls emerged, encircling it completely.

Zhou Leng touched the mask on his face, took out a Magic Interference Ball, and quietly shattered the Demon-Exorcising Blood Bone with True Qi.

The Demon-Exorcising Blood Bone contained the power of the Beastman Shaman, and a beam of blood light slipped through the crevice into the tent.

Tian Wenhua, Yan Fenggang, and the four Demon Warlocks all turned their heads to look.

Zhou Leng tore open the tent and hurled the Magic Interference Ball inside with force, where it exploded upon landing.

Boom!

Twisting spell lights splattered, forming intense spell waves together with the Demon-Exorcising Blood Bone.

The binding array of the entire tent collapsed, and the binding spells on all the martial artists dissipated.

Zhou Leng changed his voice with True Qi and shouted, "Kill Tian Wenhua, that's the only way out!"

"Tian Wenhua, damn your celestial ancestors!"

"Screw you!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Several hot-tempered Vitality Stage people roared and charged forward.

Some people ran outside, while others stayed to observe.

The four Demon Warlocks screamed aloud, and squads of Demons poured out from other tents, attacking the fleeing martial artists.

"Courting death!"

Yan Fenggang shouted and punched at Zhou Leng, who had burst in through the torn tent.

Zhou Leng met the punch with his own.

The fists collided.

Boom!

Yan Fenggang's right arm exploded, taking with it his right shoulder, chest, and abdomen, and half of his body flew diagonally.

Zhou Leng stepped forward, crushing his skull with a foot.

Blood splattered everywhere.

"Old Five!" Tian Wenhua roared with rage, but was blocked by the Vitality Stage martial artists. He commanded the Demon Warlocks, "Kill him!"

Zhou Leng dashed onto the high platform, withstanding the blinding white Spiritual Shock of the Demon Warlocks, and kicked at the blood bath.

While the Mountain of Will resisted the Spiritual Shock, the blood bath shattered, and blood splashed everywhere.

"My Path of Innate!" Tian Wenhua growled lowly.

"Screw your Path of Innate!" A frenzied Late Vitality Stage martial artist recklessly fought with self-destructive tactics.

Tian Wenhua, unable to put down the heart in his right hand, fought single-handedly, retreating step by step. He shouted angrily, "Don't push me!"

Several enraged Vitality Stage experts, united against a common foe, suppressed Tian Wenhua.

Zhou Leng didn't bother with Tian Wenhua and charged at the Demon Warlocks, swiftly killing all four.

The Demon Warlocks at close range were as fragile as chickens.

Outside the tent, Demons and martial artists were locked in battle.

Tian Wenhua glanced at the deceased Demon Warlocks, the shattered blood bath, and finally Yan Fenggang's body, his eyes turning blood-red.

"All of you, die!" Tian Wenhua's mouth opened wide, becoming non-human, and swallowed the entire peculiar heart.

"Kill him!" the Vitality Stages attacked in unison, all strikes landing on Tian Wenhua.

Tian Wenhua flew backward, falling out of the tent.

As he landed, a blood mist erupted from his body, causing the people to hesitate.

Zhou Leng squinted his eyes for a closer look.

Within the blood mist, Tian Wenhua's flesh wriggled, his body expanding and thickening rapidly, soon swelling to three meters high.

Meanwhile, twisted sinews like snakes emerged beneath his skin, spreading all over his body.

Tian Wenhua stood up with his hair bristling in anger, his skin cracking and oozing black blood.

The blood mist roared like scarlet flames around him.

His eyes turned bloody red, and his eye sockets became rings of black cracks.

He exuded a fierce aura, like a Demon emerging from hell.

"My Path of Innate!" he said and punched.

His right arm suddenly swelled like an elephant's leg, with rough sinews writhing on the surface.

Boom!

A Vitality Stage expert raised his arm to block, but the next instant, his body exploded into pieces.

The other Vitality Stages, their blood still boiling, went on the offensive even knowing they were outmatched.

Zhou Leng sprinted over, bypassing them, and lunged at Tian Wenhua.

Unexpectedly, Tian Wenhua killed another four Vitality Stages with one punch each in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Leng took a step forward, pushing out his right palm in an unremarkable manner.

Killing Move, Thousand Tides Pouring into the Sea.

Containing the boundless flow of the Great River Entering the Sea, successfully merging with the ferocity of All Rivers Flow into the Sea.

With one palm strike, his sleeve burst open, thundering like ocean tides.

Tian Wenhua, after consuming the Innate Demon Heart, had completely transformed into a peculiar Demon, retaliating with an incredible speed punch.

Their fist and palm intersected.

Zhou Leng retreated three steps.

Tian Wenhua's body flew backward, crashing into the tent.

His right arm cracked wide open, revealing white bone.

In the blink of an eye, blood and flesh rapidly regrew, covering the white bone.

The overly proliferated flesh accumulated, making the deformed arm thicker than before.

"My Path of Innate! My Path of Innate! You deserve to die! Deserve to die!"