Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 608: Chapter 360 Fierce Battle with the Heavenly Demon_2

Feng Hongsheng thought so in his heart.

But in the next moment,

Chen Mu, faced with the slowly solidifying form of the Heavenly Demon, showed no intention of retreating. With a raised hand, he delivered a fist seal that was majestic and sweeping, shaking the Eight Wastes. The light of the Eight Phases solidified and converged into a point, striking down at the Heavenly Demon!

What of a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon?

Not to mention that this Heavenly Demon’s realm was clearly unstable, which is why an Eighth Rank Ancient Demon was stationed outside the Weak Water to prevent anyone from approaching. Even if it were a Heavenly Demon with a stable realm, what of it? He was unafraid, his Soul Heart flawless, ready to test his current Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal with the Heavenly Demon’s methods!

Accompanying Chen Mu’s strike of the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, the Demonic Qi-gathering Heavenly Demon, despite its sluggish movements, seemed to sense an instinctual threat. From its dark, abyss-like core, a sudden surge of overwhelming power spread out.

Buzz!!!

This overwhelming power, shifting from dematerialized to materialized, initially seemed like the power of the Heavenly Demon, but in its transformation, it swiftly evolved into the Qiankun Eight Phases, and then solidified into a point, remarkably resembling Chen Mu’s technique—the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal!

The two identical Heaven and Earth Wheel Seals collided in the void, instantly causing the void to explode into white cracks, spreading like ice, accompanied by the ‘crackling’ sounds of shattering.

“So this is the formlessness of the Heavenly Demon, the true nature of all beings?”

Chen Mu watched the scene, a faint gleam flickering through his eyes.

The Heavenly Demon, being formless, thus could transform into anything, even directly mimicking his Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal. Despite that, the Heavenly Demon’s Wheel Seal still harbored some fundamental differences from his own.

His Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal truly gathered the forces of Heaven and Earth, the power of the Qiankun Eight Phases, whereas the Heavenly Demon’s ‘Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal’ seemed more like a mirror reflection, as if emerging from nothingness, materialized directly.

To put it simply,

the Heavenly Demon was like a mirror, reflecting his techniques and then materializing them.

“Interesting.”

Chen Mu showed a look of interest.

The Heavenly Demon, though only at the Ninth Rank and not yet at a stable level, displayed techniques vastly different from those of the Seventh and Eighth Rank Ancient Demons, indeed undergoing a qualitative leap.

This ability to reflect and manifest was so profound that even he could not fully understand it at the moment.

Whoosh!

The next moment,

Chen Mu stepped forward, crossing over directly above the Weak Water. With one punch aimed at the swirling true form of the Heavenly Demon, he didn’t use the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal this time but simply the pure force of his Martial Body!

As he punched, terrifying atmospheric pressure swept through with the Qiankun Domain restrained, the majestic power of Heaven and Earth solidifying in his punch; the plain punch containing the might to destroy cities and split the earth.

However,

in the black, abyss-like core of the Heavenly Demon, which resembled a reflective surface, ripples now emerged, and from within stretched out a similarly plain fist. Not only did the power within match, even the cuffs and clothes were nearly identical to Chen Mu’s!

The two fists collided in the air, barely three inches apart, neither able to advance further. Both formidable forces activated right on the fronts of their fists, fiercely clashing, causing the area’s void to once again show white traces of shattering.

“Can it even mimic flesh and blood?”

Chen Mu’s eyes flashed differently, his interest in the Heavenly Demon’s techniques growing.

It is said,

this world also indeed has legends of gods and Buddhas, where Immortal Gods are merely the common people’s misunderstanding of powerful martial artists, forming incorrect records of oddities and anomalies, and the so-called Buddha is likewise.

Or rather, powers like the Monastery of No Birth, the Great Likeness Monastery, and such, their followed Buddhist Way is also a form of Martial Arts; the so-called Buddha, Bodhisattva, Arhat are all top-tier Martial Arts experts, their worshipped Buddha being a Martial Artist who achieved Unity of Heaven and Man.

Among them.

Concepts such as “Buddha is inherently formless” and “Utmost Liberation and Serenity” are, in some ways, eerily reminiscent of the Heavenly Demon.

Chen Mu had read in the ancient classics hidden within the Seven Profound Sect that although the cultivation of the Buddhist Way was a form of Martial Arts, it was adapted and evolved from the “Heavenly Demon” during ancient times.

Back then, Chen Mu did not understand the meaning, but now he felt that perhaps that indeed was the case.

Originally, Martial Arts were created step by step by those pioneers who emulated various mystical creatures, and since there was a way to mimic these creatures, there naturally was also a way to mimic demonic beings, hence the Buddhist traditions like the Unborn Monastery arose.

However, the idea that “Buddhism stemmed from demons” certainly would not be acknowledged by forces such as Unborn Monastery or the Grand Similitude Monastery, and so they fabricated various legends to disguise the true past.

These thoughts flashed through his mind momentarily.

At the realm Chen Mu had now reached, he truly needed to start embracing all streams, acquainting himself with all Martial Arts in the world, preparing to step into the Blood Exchange Realm in the future and to explore the true pinnacle of Martial Arts.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

While thoughts flickered in Chen Mu’s mind, his movements were uncompromisingly swift; once up close, he executed one technique after another against the Heavenly Demon.

Even though each move appeared simplistic, being mere jabs and hand strikes, at his level, they had transformed rot into the miraculous; the simplicity of the techniques belied their immense might, tearing through the air with streaks of white that palpitated the heart on sight!

The Heavenly Demon, with Chen Mu’s relentless attack, grew increasingly more substantial. Initially just an arm, it soon conjured legs, and then consolidated inwardly, fully morphing into a human shadow identical to Chen Mu, fiercely battling him, causing the void to shatter into cracks.

Chen Mu was battling the Heavenly Demon!

While two shadows engaged fiercely above the Weak Water, Feng Hongsheng was already stunned speechless.

Though not a top grandmaster, having roamed the Cold North for many years, his experiences were even more profound than Chen Mu’s; how could he not recognize that the white streaks torn by Chen Mu and the Heavenly Demon indicated a clash at the Blood Exchange Realm!

For the Heavenly Demon, being a Ninth Rank creature, equal to the Blood Exchange Realm, it was understandable.

But Chen Mu could actually stand toe-to-toe with it!

“This…”

Feng Hongsheng was immensely shocked.

Although the Qiankun Grandmaster was acclaimed to be invincible among masters, the strongest below the Blood Exchange Realm, probably none of the past Qiankun Grandmasters could manage, like Chen Mu, to fight head-on against a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon without falling short!

As Feng Hongsheng watched dazzled and tongue-tied, a soft transmission from Chen Mu suddenly resonated beside his ear.

“Elder Feng, retrieve the Soul Lotus, take care not to damage it.”

This message finally snapped Feng Hongsheng out of his shock, causing him to take a deep breath, and promptly shift his gaze towards the Weak Water beneath Chen Mu and the Heavenly Demon.

Now that Chen Mu was entangling the Heavenly Demon in battle, it was naturally his opportunity to retrieve the Dark Soul Lotus.

Swish!

Without further hesitation, Feng Hongsheng moved swiftly forward, soon reaching the banks of the Weak Water, then a trace of Yuan Gang True Essence surfaced around him, repelling the Weak Water and diving into it, heading for the bottom.

The Heavenly Demon, still fervently battling Chen Mu and mirroring his external appearance as if a reflection in a mirror, suddenly noticed Feng Hongsheng entering the Weak Water, his face immediately showing traces of human-like surprise and anger.

Hum.

He furiously threw a punch, attempting to temporarily repel Chen Mu and then retreat into the Weak Water.

However, Chen Mu’s expression remained unchanged. He swung his arm to parry, simultaneously saying indifferently, “To fight me yet be distracted, aren’t you underestimating me a bit too much?”

The Heavenly Demon, having nearly perfectly copied every one of his moves, was almost equal in combat to him; but the disturbance from Feng Hongsheng’s dive into the Weak Water caused it to become distracted and alter its techniques, naturally exposing openings!

Bang!!

Accompanying his words, Chen Mu threw another punch with his right hand, this punch being solid and concentrated, filled with Vigorous Qi, gathering the brilliance of Eight Phases, and striking out with a Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal!