Master of Kaidan
Chapter 263: Senior Ironclad

Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Senior Ironclad

In the dim forest, a gruesome scene was unfolding, as an armor-clad figure drenched in blood stood in front of a headless corpse, and in his hand, a head with a piece of spine violently ripped out dangled limply.

Suddenly, the armored figure’s fingers exerted force, and the head burst open with a crash, brain matter, flesh, and fragments of bone splattering everywhere. But the armored figure seemed not to care at all, instead holding up a meat worm about the size of his thumb close to his face, as if admiring some exquisite piece of art.

"So that’s how it is..." The voice of the armored figure echoed inside his helmet, carrying a hint of terrifying etherealness. Paired with the scene reminiscent of a Hell Scroll, anyone seeing him would take him for a peerless demon lord.

At this very moment, a five-person squad happened to follow the sounds of combat and arrived at the scene.

However, the battle had not begun; the leader of the group even respectfully clasped his hands and bowed, saying,

"Junior Chu Chuan of the Demon Extermination Department, it is an honor to meet you, Senior Ironclad."

"What’s the matter? A Gu Cultivator just died here, and I’m not sure if there are any Gu Eggs left around." The armored figure’s fingers tightened, squishing the still wriggling meat worm into a pulp, then immediately took out a match and set the remains in front of him on fire.

Upon hearing Senior Ironclad’s advice, the team instinctively took a slight step back, but that was merely a reflex, as they all maintained the operation of their Protective Gang Qi.

Chu Chuan, who claimed to be a Sword Holder, seemed to realize his own lapse and a look of embarrassment surfaced on his face, but he still respectfully said,

"Traces of an Evil Cultivator have appeared near Qingsong Town, and it is said that you were recently searching..."

"I understand," the armored figure interrupted before he could finish, and grabbed the nearby "Strange Flowing Horse" leaning against a tree, then vanished into the depths of the forest...

...

"Chief, the person just now seemed very strong; which sect’s senior was he?" After watching the senior ride off on the Flowing Horse, someone from the squad finally asked. Chu Chuan, his expression turning serious, responded:

"I don’t know either. Senior Ironclad appeared about two months ago, and since he’s always wearing that armor, everyone started calling him Ironclad, and he didn’t seem to object, so the nickname stuck."

"Two months ago? Wasn’t that when we had just completed our training? Could it be that he’s a newly emerged genius from some sect?" muttered a young man with a square face and big ears. Chu Chuan, however, glared at him and said,

"Don’t spout nonsense. Senior Ironclad is a Scholarly expert, not only possessing Supreme Martial Arts but also having extremely high attainments in Mechanical Techniques and Medical Skill. Half a month ago, the supply team that went to Tian Chung Town was attacked by several Demon Cultivators, and with a single punch, he suppressed all of them. We’ve checked recent sect records and haven’t found any trace of him. The higher-ups suspect he might be a descendent of the ’Mechanical Palace,’ which vanished over 300 years ago."

"Over 300 years ago? That was before the Demon Sect and Demons even emerged, right?" The team members couldn’t help but be astonished, and Chu Chuan nodded and said,

"Exactly, but the reason I hold so much respect for him is because he invented a mental method that can entirely expel the Demonic Qi from one’s body!"

"What?" The team members exclaimed in surprise, but their training quickly allowed them to regain their composure, and as they left the forest, they quietly asked,

"How can such a big deal not be known?"

"You don’t even use your brain to think about it. Someone who is unwilling to show their true face gives you a cultivation technique, telling you it can expel demonic Qi. Would you dare to practice it? What if it’s a trap set by a demon from the Demon Sect?" Another member of the small team glanced disdainfully at the one with a square face and big ears, then turned to Chu Chuan and said:

"Leader, do you have any inside information?"

"It’s not exactly inside information. I just received a message yesterday that our volunteer, Senior Qin Hu, has completely freed himself from the influence of the demonic Qi. It’s just that the mutation in his left hand is incurable."

"That’s already very good. If it can be popularized, then we won’t have to worry about being eroded by demonic Qi!" The good news lifted the team’s spirits, but Chu Chuan promptly poured cold water on their excitement by saying:

"How easy do you think it is? This mental method requires a high level of Inner Strength. Ordinary grandmasters may not even meet the standards, and it’s still uncertain whether it’s harmful or not. Those experts who have started practicing this mental method are still under strict surveillance. Only when they are confirmed to have no issues will it be promoted on a small scale! Alright, these matters aren’t exactly confidential, but you should just listen and make sure not to spread it outside."

"Yes!"

...

"The label’s strength has increased again, huh!" Feng Xue, riding a motorcycle across the wilderness, felt the feedback from his "Hidden Sect Disciple Entering the World" label growing stronger. His lips couldn’t help but curl into a slight smile as he continued searching for new prey.

Over the past two months, he had researched quite a few samples of so-called demons from the Demon Sect and had come to understand the mechanisms behind the application of this so-called demonic Qi.

Simply put, this is a special energy that possesses "Self-awareness."

They have a certain "inducing cycle" function, allowing them to parasitize living beings, erode a section of their meridians, and spontaneously operate a specific cycle of cultivation, thereby using the host’s Life Force as nourishment for themselves.

Even among the three types of demons from the Demon Sect that Feng Xue had collected samples from, not one of them was the "master" of the demonic Qi. The difference only lay in that Poison Cultivators use poison as a medium for the demonic Qi to reduce its erosion on themselves, Gu Cultivators use Gu Worms as brokers, indirectly utilizing the power of demonized Gu Worms, and Demon Cultivators let the demonic Qi erode their own bodies, directly harnessing the power of the demonic Qi.

However, their secluded nature was completely different from those who were truly eroded by demonic Qi. Feng Xue could only roughly make a few conjectures such as "comprehensive erosion," "gentle erosion," and "initial spreaders." As for its ability to induce the mutation of flesh and even create eyes and other refined organs from nothing, Feng Xue was still completely in the fog.

Nevertheless, judging from these results, the true owner of this so-called demonic Qi is very likely to be the "Evil Cultivators" Feng Xue has never seen in these two months.

Of course, seeing them or not is not that important; after all, he wasn’t here to investigate the truths of the world. Compared to uncovering the mastermind behind the scenes, Feng Xue was more inclined to use the sense of oppression brought by these demons from the Demon Sect to provide himself with an excellent Kaidan entry.

Based on the demonic Qi’s characteristics of being utmost Yang and utterly evil, Feng Xue drew upon the Taiyin Yiming Jue’s utmost Yin and utterly righteous character to develop a mental method that could neutralize the erosive nature of the demonic Qi, turning them into something similar to "ordinary Inner Strength" like the No-thought Divine Power. Afterward, it would be possible to expel them like healing normal injuries.

The only issue is that this thing is only a half-finished product, after all, "neutralizing" is a very low-cost-effective action. Cultivating new Inner Strength that doesn’t conflict with one’s own is hard enough, let alone managing to suppress demonic Qi simultaneously.

In Feng Xue’s view, what’s most appropriate is not neutralization but taming.

But to tame such utmost Yang and utterly evil Inner Strength, you must have something even more evil.

And Feng Xue just happened to have such a thing in his possession...