As Yi Beidou ventured into Cloud Prison Mountain, advancing swiftly with his Celestial Demon Sensing, another group was also weaving through the jungle, moving with great speed.
Their leader was a middle-aged man in a loose Daoist Robe. His hair was tied in a high topknot, he sported a thin, drooping mustache, and he carried a massive pack on his back.
Following him were five young people—three men and two women. They were dressed in mountaineering gear rather than Daoist attire, giving them the air of researchers on a field study.
However, their agile movements and impressive Physical Ability revealed that they were all skilled martial artists, experts at the Tonghui Internalization level at the very least.
The young people hiked through the primeval jungle, carrying heavy packs. Though beads of sweat dotted their faces, they showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, their expressions were filled with excitement.
They knew full well the purpose of this journey.
Not only would they witness an expert who had achieved Body Ascension other than their own master, but they would also help slay a great dragon connected to the Kunlun Ancestral Vein. This was the stuff of legends. What ordinary person would ever be so fortunate as to witness such a marvel?
It was an experience they could brag about for the rest of their lives.
"Everyone, be careful. Some of this precision equipment is delicate. We can't have it breaking before we get to use it,"
the middle-aged man at the head of the group cautioned.
"Yes, Master,"
they all replied in unison.
"Hm?"
Just then, the middle-aged man's expression hardened. He stopped in his tracks, raising a hand to signal for his disciples to halt.
The five disciples were confused but stopped immediately. When they saw the grave expression on their master's face, they had no idea what was happening.
This might be Cloud Prison Mountain, a place known to the world as exceedingly treacherous, but their master was a peerless expert who had achieved Body Ascension—Celestial Master Tao of the Shangqing sect of Zhengyi Maoshan. What kind of demon or monster in this place could possibly make him wear such an expression?
RUSTLE! RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
Just then, the disciples also heard a stirring in the jungle behind them and whipped their heads around.
A shadow could be seen flitting rapidly through the trees. Upon spotting them, the shadow stopped, allowing them to get a clear look at his face.
It was a young man in a loose-fitting sweatsuit. Despite the dense jungle, his clothes were still neat and clean, save for a few grass stains on his shoes. At first glance, he looked like someone out for a morning jog in the park.
But this was a goddamn primeval jungle, renowned throughout the country for its dangers!
In an instant, a sense of wrongness washed over the Mao Shan Disciples, making their scalps tingle. 'Just who have we run into?'
But as an expert who had achieved Body Ascension, Tao Zihong naturally perceived far more.
To him, the young man in the distance had an incredibly baleful aura. A black energy seemed to emanate naturally from his body, and his Demon Nature was profound.
'A living Celestial Demon,'
Tao Zihong murmured to himself. He was already certain that the young man across from him was an existence who, like himself, had achieved Body Ascension.
He had heard of nearly every expert in the country who had achieved Body Ascension, but he had never heard of this person.
'Profound Demon Nature, so young, and has achieved Body Ascension...'
Tao Zihong's expression grew heavy. He couldn't help but suspect a connection to foreign powers. Cloud Prison Mountain was located right on the border of Donghua; it was entirely plausible for outside forces to use this desolate region to infiltrate the country.
'A living Celestial Demon?'
Hearing Tao Zihong's words, the Mao Shan Disciples felt a chill run down their spines.
A living Celestial Demon suddenly appearing behind them deep in this desolate mountain forest—how could that not fill them with dread?
On the other side, Yi Beidou frowned slightly as he observed Tao Zihong's group. He could tell the leader was an expert who had achieved Body Ascension, but he couldn't be sure of their identities. Still, judging from their gear and the aura they exuded, they probably weren't a foreign power.
Seeing their guarded expressions, he knew they had sensed his true nature.
'Out here in the wilderness, words are useless and can't be trusted. Besides, I have nothing to prove my identity.'
'Besides, I can't be bothered with a lengthy explanation. It's rare to come across an expert who has achieved Body Ascension. Whether he's righteous or evil doesn't matter. A misunderstanding is perfect—it's a chance to see what a Saint Expert is truly capable of.'
Thus, Yi Beidou offered no explanation. Instead, he took control of his body, made his qi and blood surge, and strode toward the group.
In that instant, his Demon Nature intensified, and the sense of threat he exuded was as overwhelming as an earthquake and a tsunami.
"Dao Yun, take the others and secure the perimeter. Do not act rashly."
Tao Zihong's eyes narrowed. He set down the pack he was carrying and reached for the sash tied around his Daoist Robe.
He untied the sash and ripped off his Daoist Robe, revealing the garments he wore underneath.
On his brawny torso, he wore a black, short-sleeved compression shirt made of a special material. A raised square panel was fixed to the back, onto which a Talisman design was inlaid with golden thread.
The Talisman's design radiated from this central panel, spreading across the entire compression shirt. The garment looked both cutting-edge, like a piece of modern technology, and mystical, with the air of an ancient culture—a fusion of a modern combat suit and an ancient, form-fitting Magical Treasure.
New and old. Ancient and modern.
'What kind of technique is this?'
A look of interest flashed in Yi Beidou's eyes.
"Master."
The disciples at his side, however, paled when they saw this.
They knew all too well that when their master brought out his "Thunder Robe," he was about to use his true power.
It was a product born from the fusion of ancient Daoist Art and modern technology, developed specifically to augment the Maoshan Thunder Vein Talisman Technique.
Tao Zihong had his own calculations.
'His opponent's strength is unknown, and there's no telling if more are coming. With my disciples here as a liability, I can't afford to be arrogant and hold back. I have to strike like lightning and try to subdue him quickly.'
The next moment, his entire presence changed dramatically.
WHOOSH!!
His qi and blood surged like a mighty river. Veins and blood vessels bulged on his exposed arms, appearing to form the shape of some kind of Talisman.
They resembled lightning bolts—mysterious and majestic.
Body Ascension, Mediating Seven Souls.
Thunder Vein Body!
CLICK!
Tao Zihong then pressed a finger against a raised point on the chest of his black compression shirt. It appeared to be a switch.
BZZZT! CRACKLE!
Arcs of electricity erupted from the golden threads that formed the Talisman on his black compression shirt.
The next moment.
FWOOSH!
Tao Zihong's figure vanished from sight as if he had teleported, moving faster than the human eye could track.
'So fast!'
Even Yi Beidou's expression tightened. In the space of two breaths, the man had crossed nearly fifty meters of dense jungle to appear right in front of him.
At that moment, the thunder veins across Tao Zihong's body coiled like living Talismans. His hair stood on end, his eyebrows flew upward, and electricity crackled around him. Even his eyes seemed to flash with lightning.
He looked like a veritable god of thunder descended from the heavens.
He threw a palm strike. Light seemed to gather in its center, and the Palm Force churned the air, producing a sound like rolling thunder.