My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 39: The Whereabouts of the Two Demonic Energies

"Speak in detail."

Li Ye raised an eyebrow.

Why had he spared Murong Kaixin’s life? Why had he come here in the middle of the night for self-reflection?

Wasn’t it all just to extract more intelligence about this world from him?

The Demonic Energy had escaped three years ago. Even accounting for a possible time distortion, it had still been in this world for at least one year.

Li Ye had only been here for less than a month, yet he had already caused a massive stir—capturing one of the strongest fighters in this world and throwing the martial world into chaos.

But the Demonic Energy had been here for over two years, and not a single martial artist had spoken of anything unusual.

Two separate Demonic Energies had entered this world, and yet everything was running smoothly? That was the biggest anomaly of all.

—

Murong Kaixin was one of the four recognized Grandmasters and the Heavenly Master of the Chu Kingdom. His high status meant that the information he held far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists.

Li Ye had deliberately left him alone for a day before coming here at night—because a seriously injured Murong Kaixin needed sleep to recover, while Li Ye was full of energy and rarely slept.

Disturbing him at night would be far more effective than interrogating him during the day.

One must treat enemies as coldly as the harshest winter.

Murong Kaixin was a Grandmaster—Li Ye had to squeeze every last drop of value out of him before he died.

He hadn’t even needed to use any psychological tactics; Murong Kaixin had already started spilling secrets on his own.

And he called it a "strong mentality"?

Would a true powerhouse willingly trade secrets for a quick death?

What quick death?

This guy was clearly trying to use his remaining usefulness as leverage for survival.

One wanted to ask, and the other wanted to tell.

From the moment Murong Kaixin had asked for water, the battle of wits had already begun.

—

"The Chu royal family possesses a secret technique called Immortal Embryo, Demonic Seed. It allows a Grandmaster to transfer all their power to the next generation, ensuring that there is always a guardian-level expert within the royal bloodline," Murong Kaixin explained slowly.

"Each Grandmaster of the royal family, after receiving the previous generation’s power, integrates their own lifelong martial cultivation into the Immortal Embryo, which is then passed down again. Some energy is lost in the transfer, but with successive generations, the accumulated strength ensures that the royal family’s Grandmasters are always stronger than ordinary ones—enough to suppress the martial world."

This was a fusion of Northern Darkness Divine Art and Wedding Clothes Divine Art!

But it wasn’t as useful as Northern Darkness Divine Art, which could absorb the martial arts of others. It might be valuable for a country, but to Li Ye, it was of little use.

He shook his head. "And the method to counter Grandmasters?"

"There wasn’t one before," Murong Kaixin hesitated before continuing, "but two years ago, the current royal Grandmaster, Xiang Li, accidentally created a technique called Star Devourer Hand. If someone is struck by it, their internal energy is completely drained, their wounds never heal, and their dantian and meridians are completely destroyed..."

Two years ago?

Star Devourer Hand?

Li Ye froze for a moment before the Team Badge’s excited voice rang in his mind:

"Demonic Energy! It has to be the other Demonic Energy! This Xiang Li must have obtained one of them!"

That was highly likely.

Losing internal energy was one thing—it was similar to Absorbing Star Technique. But the fact that wounds inflicted by it never healed? That was a unique effect, almost certainly tied to Demonic Energy.

Legend had it that when Hades' Scythe injured someone, their wounds would never heal.

It made sense.

The royal family represented the highest authority in this world.

If an ordinary person obtained a Demon Artifact, whether out of fear or in hopes of gaining favor, they would likely report it to the government. It wouldn’t be surprising if such an artifact ended up in the hands of the royal family.

Only they would have the power and motive to suppress knowledge of Demonic Energy.

This was bad news.

If an ordinary person had obtained the Demon Artifact, Li Ye might have been able to pressure them into cooperating with his overwhelming strength and the enticing prospect of the league.

But if the royal family controlled a Demonic Energy, then everything Li Ye was doing would be seen as a direct challenge to the Chu Kingdom’s rule.

Not to mention, he had killed Murong Kaixin and possessed the knowledge of Spiritual Energy cultivation. Logically speaking, the Chu Emperor would have no choice but to eliminate him.

Even if the royal family hesitated, the Demonic Energy itself would push them toward action—just like the Team Badge did.

Wait…

If Xiang Li had obtained a Demon Artifact and had been using it for two years, then he should have long since lost himself to its influence, becoming a puppet to its power.

Killing-type Demon Artifacts were especially insidious. The rapid growth in power would make their wielders addicted, causing them to lose themselves.

Back on Earth, when the Demon Hunting Bureau first encountered Demon Artifacts, they didn’t realize how they corrupted their wielders.

At the time, Demon Hunters would frequently use Demon Artifacts, and that was what eventually led to the Jingzhou Calamity, where millions of civilians perished. The Demon Hunting Bureau had to sacrifice 60% of its agents just to quell the disaster.

So why was this world still so stable?

Murong Kaixin was too weak to notice the shift in Li Ye’s expression.

Licking his wounded lips, he continued, "Even if you truly come from a higher civilization, your strength is still limited. You had to rely on a secret technique to defeat me—there’s no way you can win against Xiang Li, who carries the strength of multiple Grandmasters.

"You probably don’t realize it, but you’re already standing at the edge of death..."

Li Ye cut him off abruptly. "When was the last time you saw Xiang Li?"

Murong Kaixin was stunned.

"When?" Li Ye pressed, his gaze sharp. "Murong Kaixin, I know what you’re trying to do. Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you live."

"A year ago. The last time I saw Xiang Li was a year ago," Murong Kaixin said, his face filled with confusion. He turned toward Li Ye. "Do you know something?"

"A year ago? MBD, this Star Devourer Hand is sounding an awful lot like my Soul Devourer," Li Ye muttered before looking back at Murong Kaixin. "When Xiang Li demonstrated it to you, what weapon did he use? Don’t tell me he could just make wounds unhealable with his bare hands."

"Weapon?" Murong Kaixin furrowed his brow in thought. "He used his bare hands... No, wait, he was wearing gloves. They seemed to be made of silk..."

So that’s what the Demon Artifact was attached to.

Li Ye sighed. "No doubt about it—it's my Soul Devourer. I lost many of my belongings in a spatial turbulence, and Soul Devourer was one of them.

"Soul Devourer is immune to blades, fire, and water. Any wound inflicted by it will never heal. I thought it was lost forever, but it seems it arrived in this world ahead of me… and was picked up by a local."

Murong Kaixin was shocked. "Your weapon?"

"Of course it's mine," Li Ye scoffed. "Otherwise, how could such a backward civilization suddenly produce an unhealable weapon? And calling it Star Devourer Hand? What a pathetic cover-up."

"If it’s yours, then why did it arrive two years earlier than you?" Murong Kaixin asked.

"Spatial turbulence distorts both time and space. Arriving earlier or later than me isn’t strange at all." Li Ye glanced at him, then asked eagerly, "Besides Soul Devourer, have you noticed anything else unusual?

"I lost nearly all my belongings in the turbulence. Even the most ordinary of my possessions would be divine artifacts to you.

"If you can help me locate one or two of them, I’ll owe you a great favor."

He had found one Demonic Energy—now he needed to locate the other.

Murong Kaixin stared at Li Ye, his mind in turmoil.

It's real.

Everything Wei Mingze said was true—he really came from a higher civilization! A god among mortals!

He had been blind.

He had actually dared to fight a god.

He deserved every bit of his current suffering.

But if he could help Li Ye recover even one of his divine artifacts, perhaps… he could still be saved.

After racking his brain, Murong Kaixin finally spoke.

"In the Western Regions… a mysterious sect calling itself the Divine Dragon Cult appeared a year ago. Also… the Western Regions have been oddly peaceful for the past few years…"