Chapter 917: Terrifying Talent

Previously, the cultivation technique of the opponent had been extremely bizarre.

It possessed terrifying super-regenerative recovery power, an endless supply of stamina, as if it were a perpetual motion machine, with boundless energy pouring forth from the nine "founts" within its body.

But the Demon Lord remained calm.

He knew that the opponent's observation of his own cultivation technique would undoubtedly be even stranger.

For both parties:

The other side was a mysterious and unfathomable super-civilization, whose true nature, techniques, and approaches were unimaginable, fiercely colliding with their cognitive barriers!

However, at this moment...

This could no longer be described as merely bizarre; his entire mind had gone blank.

What did he mean by that?

"Just do what I do"?

On the other side.

The players watched, shaking their heads and sighing, cowering even deeper into their corners.

"Still too young!"

"When Emperor Qi learns something, he doesn't need to know the step-by-step principles; he just copies it directly!"

"You make a move, and he makes the exact same move after you!"

They had already come to take this for granted.

After all, when Emperor Qi had copied the Nine-Revolutions Mysterious Art before, they had been utterly stunned.

They cursed in their hearts: *He doesn't know linear algebra, he doesn't know solid geometry, yet he somehow managed to learn a rudimentary version of the Nine-Revolutions Mysterious Art!*

"This time, he's actually smarter!"

"He's taken a loss; he should run now!"

The players took a deep breath, silently watching the battlefield.

They began to consider where they themselves should run to be safe, feeling utterly unsettled.

However, events did not unfold as they had imagined.

At this moment, the Demon Lord looked at Emperor Qi, who had a single strand of hair sticking up on his head, and said in disbelief, "You actually, truly, saw my attack method?"

"I saw it."

Emperor Qi merely smiled, showing great interest. "It seems our truly equal battle is only just beginning now."

"Absurd!"

The Demon Lord laughed exasperatedly, looking at the single strand of hair on Emperor Qi's head. Given his pride, how could he be intimidated in an instant? "Though I don't know what method you used to imitate our bloodline, from what I've observed... this imitation, this fake bloodline, would be incredibly good to possess even thirty percent of its true power..."

Emperor Qi nodded, answering earnestly and appearing very honest. "It's temporary, after all. If I studied it thoroughly, it would be more complete."

The Demon Lord burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Your civilization must enjoy replicating the cultivation techniques of other civilizations. Perhaps you can barely learn an introductory level, gaining some insight into the trajectories... But I underestimated you, simply thinking you couldn't see it, and thus my moves were very slow... Next time, you won't be so lucky."

"The moves of martial arts are extremely fast," the tall, vast Demon Lord's voice turned cold. "Don't be so conceited."

"It's still the same move, Great Demon Firmament!"

Everyone else still saw nothing.

Only Emperor Qi, at this moment, truly observed the opponent's technique.

The boundless radiance in the sky converged into a dazzling galaxy, surging from all directions like a tsunami, leaving virtually no time to dodge.

But Emperor Qi had no intention of dodging.

He fiercely raised his hands, his fists and feet becoming afterimages, shattering and striking every corner, firmly resisting the opponent's attack.

However, he only resisted for a few seconds before being swiftly struck, his body covered in blood, exploding into a pile of flesh and blood.

"I vaguely saw it... but the movements were too fast." The next second, Emperor Qi resurrected, slowly standing up. "However, if I adapt a few more times..."

"You really saw it?"

The Demon Lord's face completely lost color. The first time was a coincidence, but the second time meant he had truly done it... Although he had still killed his opponent, he knew clearly that he was starting to lose the advantage.

The opponent was adapting.

Adapting and learning at an unprecedented speed.

This was too terrifying.

"I finally discovered it... His movements are very rigid; he doesn't truly understand the principles, but is simply imitating my energy flow and the traces of various techniques... But even so, it's terrifying enough!"

The Demon Lord took a deep breath, gazing at this frightening monster.

He also clearly knew that his massive combat body, composed of one hundred and eight "worlds," was far from being a match for the opponent in a direct confrontation.

He didn't know what the opponent had cultivated, but a single individual contained more energy than he had gathered from countless enlightened grandmasters!

"Cannot be killed, must leave!"

The Demon Lord's voice deepened; he was not a thoughtless brute after all.

In fact, he possessed even greater combat power: the fusion of his true body and combat body, the convergence of two yin and yang bodies, transforming into a Chaotic Saint Martial Combat Body...

However, he was unwilling to do so.

Because once his true body arrived, there would be a genuine possibility of being killed, and he was unwilling to take such a risk!

"You want to leave?"

Emperor Qi seemed to see through everything, and couldn't help but say softly and slowly, "It's only just begun; our battle is only just about to become interesting. As a person, I am just and upright, and I particularly admire talent. I was just about to have a fair contest with you..."

"Hehehe... I won't be staying!" The Demon Lord smiled faintly, saying courteously, "Let us fight again next time!"

"Next time won't be good."

Emperor Qi frowned tightly, unable to resist saying, "After all, my body has only learned a tiny bit, look..."

*Whoosh.*

The next second, a scene the Demon Lord would never forget in his life appeared:

A blurry quantum combat body, bearing Emperor Qi's likeness, appeared vaguely in mid-air, seemingly just born, still an extremely crude embryo.

"Help me see if there's anything wrong with the method; I always feel it's a bit unsuitable, not perfectly rounded," Emperor Qi's quantum combat body spoke.

"You!!!"

The Demon Lord was greatly alarmed.

He had drawn out a Saint Martial True Body of his own in this chaos!?

Just with that single strand of hair on his head?

How long had it been? This scene was simply too terrifying; it completely overturned his perception, immersing him in a nameless sense of dread.

"Look... how about we have a fair sparring session? I'll use this combat body to challenge one hundred and eighth of your combat body... to meet friends through martial arts, it's truly a joy in life," Emperor Qi said gently, like a refined gentleman.

The Demon Lord's scalp tingled completely.

How could he not know that the opponent wanted to spar with him longer to drain him dry of all his true nature, martial arts, and various techniques!

"I cannot accompany you," the Demon Lord smiled coldly, his heart nevertheless shaken. The myriad realms were indeed vast, mysterious, and incredibly brilliant, with countless powerful beings. He had never imagined such terrifying existences could exist outside.

Emperor Qi was full of regret; the opponent was extremely clever after all. He looked at the Demon Lord before him again. "Then, speaking of which, have you also developed fear towards me?"

The Demon Lord paused slightly.

*Fear towards me?*

But this thought only appeared for an instant before being extinguished; he believed it was utterly impossible!

Emperor Qi, however, looked calm, with a faint smile. "Your expression changed for a moment. Is it true that you've developed fear towards me?"

"Then, the conditions should be met..."

Emperor Qi murmured, "I was just now, throughout, watching you, using verbal attacks against those weaklings, while simultaneously releasing strange fluctuations. I was observing your expressions and actions, not missing a single detail. Now that I possess the corresponding bloodline, recalling the techniques used just now..."

He slowly closed his eyes. "Energy fluctuations, methods, techniques... and sensing your fear towards me..."

"Demon Seed in the Heart!"

Emperor Qi suddenly opened his eyes, as if sensing a deep abyss within the mind.

"You!!!!"

The Demon Lord's heart sank, watching Emperor Qi's movements and fluctuations. The fleeting thought that had appeared earlier expanded wildly, his heart rumbling. He couldn't help but roar internally, "*How terrifying is this person!... Where did this monster come from!!! His mind is incredibly deep, and his combat talent is shockingly formidable... At this moment, he must be saying that deliberately, intentionally deceiving me... using words to incite my fear!*"

The technique he had just used on those weaklings, assimilating someone into himself, was now being copied exactly.

It was completely replicated onto him.

This was simply...

Incredible!

However, even though he clearly knew that this terrifying existence was deliberately calculating against him with seemingly benevolent words... the inner fear still uncontrollably grew.

Just as he had said before:

It's not that if you don't want to feel fear, you won't; in fact, the more you try not to be afraid, the more afraid you become...

"I!! You...!"

The Demon Lord's face turned pale. He bit his lip hard, seemingly using some secret art, and instantly transformed into a cloud of scattered dust, disappearing from the world in the fastest possible way.

"Did he escape?"

Emperor Qi, with his hands clasped behind his back, smiled faintly. "He indeed developed fear towards me... and I planted a demon of the heart in him..."

"What a truly admirable cultivation system... cannot be pursued, cannot be killed... But he actually thought that I could learn his ultimate unique skill—the Demon-Splitting Technique of Delusional Desire—and plant a demon in him in such a short time... At most, I could only barely form a blurry combat body... Even if I memorized his cultivation technique fluctuations, it would take a long time to truly learn it."

"This civilization is very terrifying. This person alone already contains the energy of one hundred and eight enlightened beings on the Ninth Rank path... Comparing the energy levels of both sides, he already possesses a quarter of mine."

One should know that Emperor Qi, when leaving this time, naturally took precautions against the Three Pillar Gods raiding his home, bringing all living beings from the entire Seven Realms. The opponent's contained energy was only a third of his, showing the gap was not large.

The opponent indeed possessed the ability to threaten him.

In fact, for anyone else, under such a bizarre cultivation method, they might not be able to resist at all. Even if the opponent's energy was only a quarter of their own, they might still be forcefully killed.

"However, bluffing him did yield new cultivation insights."

Emperor Qi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the sky beyond the planet, and said calmly, "In that instant, he exhibited special cultivation fluctuations in his mind. It must be a method he himself researched to resist the Demon Seed in the Heart... I have already memorized this fluctuation, observing it extremely carefully in that moment. As long as I earnestly study this defensive method, his ultimate unique skill will no longer be able to threaten me."

"Furthermore, he has already developed fear towards me. Next time we meet, I will almost certainly have learned the demon-seeding technique, utilizing the weakness of his fear from this battle to plant a demon in his Dao heart... Under these dual conditions, next time he encounters me, he will surely die!"

Originally, the gap between the opponent and Emperor Qi was not large.

But in that instant, he had already been directly sentenced to death by Emperor Qi.

In a contest between terrifying enlightened beings of this level, the slightest carelessness can lead to being cast into the abyss, with no chance of recovery!

"And the moment he escaped, his movements were peculiar. It must be another one of his ultimate trump cards... seemingly some unique skill of burning energy for quantum transfer, which must be extremely powerful... I have also memorized it."

Emperor Qi continuously organized his thoughts and smiled, "It seems that by bluffing him, saying I would plant a demon in him, I've managed to empty out quite a bit more of his reserves."

On the other side.

The players' scalps were already tingling, and they had begun to sneak away.

"It's over, it's over! Demon Lord, even his pants have been copied clean!"

"Emperor Qi played him until he had nothing left."

"Too tragic! Emperor Qi's combat talent is terrifying... Halfway through the battle, the opponent was completely drawn into his rhythm, calculated step by step. It's simply frightening!"

"Emperor Qi's notebook is going to have new cases added, just like Lord Youshan next door... This battle example is worth studying."

Everyone was bewildered.

Emperor Qi was indeed an unimaginable super-monster.

Was the Demon Lord weak? He was genuinely not weak; he was terrifyingly strong, with one hundred and eight enlightened puppets. His energy level wasn't much lower than Emperor Qi's, possessing formidable power to threaten him... but he was still literally played to ruin!