Fallen Demon Hunter VS Superpowered Individual 7

I'm truly afraid of Zhuang Cheng now, afraid of that inexplicable "Flame ability user."

I've never encountered a Flame ability user like him before. Just igniting an opponent with a glance is already cheating, so what kind of absurd skill is it to summon flames directly inside an opponent's body? And what's the logic behind ignoring my physical and soul attacks? I no longer want to face him.

Now, parts of my flesh and blood have turned into charcoal, still emitting scorching heat, driving me to the brink of madness. Mentally, I've become a startled bird; any slight movement can send me into a panic.

The moment I sensed the mana fluctuation nearby, I was so terrified I lost my senses. However, upon closer inspection, the one who arrived wasn't Zhuang Cheng.

It was a man with half his head missing, a twisted body, covered in blood, wearing an orange construction jacket. He stood in the distance, his body semi-transparent, allowing the scenery behind him to be vaguely seen. His face was numb and vacant, his eyes devoid of any rational intelligence, slowly approaching me like an animal drawn by the scent of blood.

This is a ghost... no, it should be an evil spirit.

It seems this is the evil spirit rumored to inhabit this abandoned construction site. It must have smelled the scent of my Soul Luring Talisman Card. Although I put the card away, I didn't reapply the seal. It's only natural for an evil spirit that only follows its instincts to come looking.

Last time, I almost thought it didn't exist from the start. Why didn't it appear when I was with Zhuang Cheng?

I won't think about it too much for now; it's best to deal with this troublesome evil spirit.

As I walked towards it, I raised my blade. It seemed startled by me, suddenly stopping in its tracks, a look of terror appearing on its face. What's the use of being afraid now? It's just its own fault for foolishly coming closer.

Just as I was about to kill it, I saw its lips move, and it fearfully muttered to itself like a mental patient: "It's coming... it's coming..."

Hearing this, I stopped in my tracks, a bad premonition casting a shadow over my heart: "...What's coming? Speak clearly, what is coming?"

Just like certain insects, ants, and beasts that only rely on instinct, sometimes they can keenly predict weather changes, or even sense the arrival of earthquakes, tsunamis, and storms. This kind of instinct-driven evil spirit, precisely because of its weakness, is actually more sensitive in terms of spirituality than many Demon Hunters.

At this moment, it trembled all over, clutching its head, squatting on the ground, its blood-stained face filled with despair.

"He... he's coming..." it roared in extreme fear, "He's already looking... he's looking here! He saw it! Ahhh!!!"

As soon as it finished speaking, the scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

Flames erupted from all directions, instantly turning this floor into a sea of fire.

Engulfed by the magnificent sea of flames, I quickly used my shadow power to protect myself. However, this level of shadow was destroyed by the surging heat in an instant, and the evil spirit in the distance was instantly vaporized like a water droplet falling into a boiling oil pot.

In the center of the sea of fire, a large amount of flames gathered and condensed, finally forming a giant flaming eyeball suspended in the air, like the eye of a god.

And the flames, despite destroying my protective shadow and the evil spirit, did not harm me.

My mind was consumed by terror. The giant flaming eyeball rotated slightly in the air, then aimed at me.

I immediately turned and ran, simultaneously manipulating the nearby shadows, attempting to initiate spatial transfer again. But as soon as I lifted my legs, the shadow forming my prosthetic legs exploded out of nowhere, causing me to fall to the ground. The approaching shadows were also scorched by the flames along the ground, vanishing without a trace.

The giant flaming eyeball contracted inward, forming a humanoid shape made of flames, and the humanoid figure suspended in the air then transformed into a human wearing casual clothes, his feet landing on the ground.

That person was Zhuang Cheng.

"I didn't expect you to come back here. Is there something here that made you return specifically?" he asked, looking around curiously, seemingly completely unaware that an evil spirit had just been incinerated here, caught in his wake.

With the grand spectacle of burning all around, I barely managed to support my body, looking at him with an indescribable sense of dread, not even sure if my dry voice could be heard.

"You... why... did you know I was here?"

At the same time, after seeing the scene of him forming in the sea of fire, I finally understood the principle behind his immortality.

While users of natural element manipulation have their strengths, when this ability reaches a level so profound that it transcends common human understanding, the common sense of a mere Demon Hunter can no longer bind them.

In the ancient world of Demon Hunters, there was a legendary realm called "Manifestation."

From ancient times to the present, most who embark on the path of cultivation pursue the path of integrating themselves with the Heavenly Dao and nature, the so-called "unity of heaven and man." Those who manipulate the spiritual energy of water emulate water's nature of benefiting all things without contention; those who manipulate the spiritual energy of earth emulate the earth's nature of virtue and tolerance. The ultimate goal of emulation is to become the object of emulation, or to merge with it.

Cultivators who reach the legendary realm of "Manifestation" can shed their physical bodies, freely transform their souls, and merge with all things in nature, appearing in the human world like gods when necessary.

That is no longer the realm of mortals, but that of Immortals of the Land.

I couldn't believe Zhuang Cheng was an Immortal of the Land, but this seemingly natural act of transforming himself into natural elements clearly possessed some characteristics of the Manifestation realm.

What he displayed was undoubtedly a skill only found in myths and legends. Even the Great Wuchang, who reigned at the peak of Luoshan like a descending god, capable of destroying this country single-handedly, might not be able to do the same.

I didn't expect my question to be answered, but Zhuang Cheng actually replied.

"Why? I should have told you, right? I have a spiritual connection with the flames I release, so of course I can pinpoint your location."

"But the flames on my body have already disappeared..."

"It seems I didn't explain it clearly. The flames I release, as well as the light and heat they produce, are essentially my spirit." For some reason, he answered every question patiently, "Although the flames have extinguished, the heat is still there, and that's not acceptable."

"What... no, that's not right!" I said, unable to accept it, "The shadow world is a different dimension from the real world. Even the connection with the heat should have been severed!"

"You mean that..." he nodded, "Although the connection became unstable for a while, it wasn't completely severed. I just couldn't see the scene over there clearly for a temporary period. And I could either reignite the flames or move into your shadow world."

"I had already made up my mind to go over, but you left there first... It's fine, you can just open the passage for me later."

This is unreasonable. The shadow world is an other dimension, just like the cave in the Fifteenth Floor room. If the latter could sever Zhuang Cheng's connection, there's no reason the former couldn't.

Could it be that the cave in the Fifteenth Floor room was truly that special?

Or perhaps...

Suddenly, I realized a more plausible possibility.

"Meaning... you lied?"

"Lied?" Zhuang Cheng was taken aback.

That's right, he must have lied.

No wonder he could calmly discuss his experiences beneath the cave with Zhu Shi and me. He already possessed the power to travel freely between different times and spaces through flames, so he was naturally fearless.

I saw it clearly just now. He can summon flames using the heat from my body, and he can also travel here from elsewhere through those flames. Since his spiritual connection to fire is strong enough to pierce the barrier between the real world and other dimensions, there's no reason he should be trapped inside the cave, forced to find the missing symbol in the ritual array just to leave.

Thinking about it carefully, he shouldn't have been able to open the cave with the so-called "missing symbol in the ritual array" in the first place. I tried the same thing myself before, and it ended in failure. This proves that the method was a lie from the very beginning.

Zhuang Cheng shook his head after his confusion.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but this isn't the place to talk. I have more questions for you, so let's find another location. Once I've asked everything I want to know, I'll hand you over to Zhu Shi for processing."

"Is that so? I'm sorry... but you're going to be disappointed!"

I won't just sit here and wait for death. Even if he doesn't plan to kill me immediately, I have no intention of entrusting my life to his whim. I have to fight for my life.

I'm not the same person I was twenty years ago. Now, I have power, and with it, true courage.

--Courage without power is merely the self-satisfaction of a fool. True courage is always born from power.

With that thought, I immediately activated my Stand Puppet ability against Zhuang Cheng.

Given the amount of mana he displayed, my ability shouldn't be able to convert him into a Stand Puppet. But if I could just stall him for one second, no, even for the blink of an eye, I could find an opportunity to escape.

After that, I would do as he said and wait for the heat to dissipate in the shadow space, so he could no longer track me. Even if he were to pursue me into the shadow world, without the relevant abilities, he wouldn't be able to survive there, let alone harm me.

I will definitely escape from here!

Without any movement, without any light, just with a single thought, my ability instantly unleashed its power, eroding towards Zhuang Cheng standing in front of me.

However, the moment my ability touched his spirit.

A sun filled with destructive fluctuations appeared in my consciousness.