The Cheat User's Battle (3) / A Battle of Resolve

She silently reviewed the main techniques she had cultivated in her mind. These techniques, like herself, were unique. To be honest, she was lucky that she could inflict considerable damage on the Xuanming Python.

Due to limited resources, she made absolutely no progress in the other major cultivation techniques. If she could use Breath Concealment Body Hiding Technique, she could easily exploit the Xuanming Python's poor perception and continuously harass it. If she could use the Falcon Spirit Wind Control Incantation, she could use her aerial abilities to restrict the behemoth's attacks, turning it into a punching bag. As for the Demon Slaying Sha God Control ... well, let's not even mention that.

She shook her head, dismissing these mundane thoughts from her mind. She did have a few unremarkable techniques that could weaken a cultivator's spiritual energy, but their effectiveness was poor. They were barely useful against cultivators, let alone the Xuanming Python before her. Moreover, she hadn't practiced these techniques much; she had only learned them as a precaution.

Ultimately, it all comes down to a weak foundation...

The more she encountered difficulties, the more Yotsuya Miko understood why Zhang Qiudao said that Foundation Establishment was only the beginning of a cultivator's journey. If she had accumulated five or six years of experience and learned hundreds of comprehensive techniques, she wouldn't have been unable to defeat a Xuanming Python weakened to such a state. Not to mention that this thing had crippled itself, had a deficiency in spiritual energy, and its strength was less than one-hundredth of what it once was.

Logically speaking, cultivators of the same realm would be eager to encounter such a good thing. After all, after killing the Xuanming Python, its entire body is made of top-quality materials, which can directly and significantly improve a cultivator's strength.

"Extremely unbalanced in academics? Chess? (Part Two) Private?..."

Yotsuya Miko felt a headache coming on. It wasn't so noticeable when her strength was enough to completely suppress the Ghosts, but after encountering the Mountain God and the Xuanming Python, her weaknesses gradually became apparent. She lacked methods to conceal her presence, methods to weaken her enemies, and methods to heal herself...

Yes, that's true.

Thinking this, she channeled another burst of spiritual energy into her body to prevent her injuries from affecting her subsequent activities. The injuries she sustained from being struck by the snake's tail wouldn't heal on their own during the battle.

But she didn't want things to happen like that. She had only come to Kawamori to clear out the Shepherd's forces, but she never expected to be bogged down in the competition and even get involved with the more troublesome Divine Gate and remnants of a certain organization. Not to mention encountering something as extraordinary as the Xuanming Python.

If this thing truly Core Formation, she planned to drag Yuria along and immediately use it to propel them back home at the speed of light.

Kawamori isn't her hometown, so what does it have to do with her? She only came to help Divine Gate out of a little bit of her sense of justice.

But... since we're already here...

Looking at the Xuanming Python again, in the short time she was thinking and recovering her spiritual energy, the creature had extinguished the flames on its body and turned its angry gaze toward her.

Finally abandoning all restraint in cherishing his spiritual energy, he swiftly condensed dozens of azure flame orbs in front of Miko —or perhaps that's the best way to describe it. The flames were coalesced into spheres, roughly the size of basketballs, and quite attractive at first glance. Aside from the fact that they would instantly kill anyone who hit them, there was nothing wrong with them.

Gazing at the fiery basketballs, Yotsuya Miko silently checked the activity in her Spiritual Sense, lest this guy launch a sneak attack while she dodged. Although the situation was probably at a stalemate, at least she could hold him off.

As for what would happen after she stalled this guy, she couldn't think of that. At the other Gate of the Underworld, she didn't sense the same heavy and intense aura as the Xuanming Python before her. So, all she could do was trust that Yuria... and the rest of the Divine Gate and the rest of the others could handle that monster that had appeared.

Taking a deep breath, Yotsuya Miko closed her eyes. Then she opened them again and looked at the balls of fire that were already hurtling towards her.

Seeing is a talent. It was precisely because she could see Zhang Qiudao's remnant spirit that she was taken as a disciple by this Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable, who openly claimed to be a heinous criminal who even destroyed the entire world for his own realm.

For a long time, she didn't understand why this was the case. Why would a demon lord like her take her as a disciple? Why would he accept someone like her, a weak-willed, death-fearing outsider who was almost completely different from demon cultivators, as his disciple?

Is it simply because you can see it, while the other side has no choice?

No, I'm afraid that's not the case.

The more Yotsuya Miko learned about the Xuanhui Realm, the more she learned about demonic cultivators, and the more she learned about Zhang Qiudao, the more she realized one thing.

Her eyes were far more complex than she imagined. For Zhang Qiudao, accepting her as a disciple wasn't just about her eyes, but for other reasons she didn't yet understand.

So what exactly is it?

Yotsuya Miko doesn't understand yet, but she'll figure it all out sooner or later.

"I saw it."

She surged forward, heading towards the swarm of flames that could severely injure her even if they merely grazed her.

The golden eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance, transforming in an instant into the gaze of some unknown creature, carrying a chilling aura and a sense of judgment.

Two completely different figures were reflected in those eyes.

One lives, one dies; they are both enemies before us.

That Xuanming Python.

Flames splattered on the ground, and human figures appeared in the air.

Chapter 155 The Battle of the Cheaters (Part 3)

Thunder, mist, a giant eye, a human figure.

In just a brief moment, many things flooded into Yotsuya Miko's mind, only to linger for a moment before disappearing from her thoughts.

Before she could dwell on these suddenly vanished memories, she looked at the Xuanming Python that had once again drawn close. As her spiritual energy was depleted, several phantoms of Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail appeared, all piercing towards the bulge in the Xuanming Python's body.

Spiritual energy has a thousand thoughts. When Zhang Qiudao transmitted his power in a dream, he referred to a single wisp of spiritual energy as a thousand minor thoughts, because in his eyes, those wisps of spiritual energy could be further subdivided. Yotsuya Miko was originally unaware of this realm, because the level of subdivision she could achieve was far inferior to Zhang Qiudao's.

But at this moment, she seemed to sense the essence of those spiritual energies, those substances that were originally called "qi" in the Xuanhui Realm. Those substances that were also "qi" in Zhang Qiudao's eyes should have been one point after another, many points, like particles.

Even without the power of Spiritual Sense, she could infinitely subdivide the spiritual energy, manipulating it from even smaller units, smaller than Zhang Qiudao's. This meant that her efficiency in using spiritual energy was much higher than that of ordinary people, reaching an efficiency that even Zhang Qiudao could not achieve.

So she did it.

Several, then dozens, then hundreds—grotesque and terrifying nails of flesh and blood appeared continuously in mid-air, immediately following the earlier Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail as they attacked the still-forming horns of the Xuanming Python. Normally, she would never have done this; the horns about to burst forth were even harder than the Xuanming Python 'Xuanming Python scales, the hardest part of its body. Such an action would undoubtedly be a waste of spiritual energy.

But she saw something different, unlike the information about the Xuanming Python that Zhang Qiudao had given her.

Her golden eyes shone with an inexplicable luster, devoid of all emotion, like cold, mechanical objects, showing no trace of human presence, yet they were still her eyes.

She still remembered the first time she saw Ghosts. These eyes were different from those of a spiritual being, allowing her to clearly see Ghosts that even exorcists couldn't see clearly. It was as if those Ghosts should have been in her field of vision.

Now, she saw something else.

Death, the phantom of death emanating from the Xuanming Python before my eyes.

A living Xuanming Python standing before him, and a dead Xuanming Python with a large hole in its head.

Two completely different images overlapped and became one.

The living Xuanming Python was the ferocious beast she was now facing, one she should have been invincible against. And the dead Xuanming Python —the hole in its skull—was right where its long horn had been torn open!

The spiritual energy was massively extracted, and what should have been only enough for a few dozen Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail was now unleashed into hundreds. These nails, a mixture of flesh and blood, struck the Xuanming Python's bulge in quick succession. As expected, the first nails failed to break through the bulge, but there were hundreds of them!

These ominous entities repeated the same actions: striking and then exploding with a continuous clatter. They used their ominousness to infect the enemy, using their inherent power to gradually break through the hardest horns, bit by bit piercing the skin of the Xuanming Python.

"Click."

Yotsuya Miko landed steadily on the ground, behind her were the green belts and buildings burned by the Mystic Underworld Flame. These man-made structures quickly turned to ashes in the flames, and the distance between the buildings and plants formed a buffer zone, leaving the Mystic Underworld Flame with nothing to burn, and finally it could only extinguish, leaving a gray and black patch on the ground.

She blinked, the luster in her eyes fading, and the spiritual energy felt unfamiliar to her once more. Manipulating her Spiritual Sense, she regained control over the spiritual energy beneath it, though she now had very little spiritual energy left within her.

Looking at the Xuanming Python before them, the moment it landed on the ground, the Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail Xuanming Python already pierced its scales and drilled into its forehead, continuing their head-on clash with the still-immature horn inside. Now, the result is clear.

Spiritual Sense were the first to detect the ominous aura. Those Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail were made from the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Demon, so they naturally carried the ominous aura of the Heavenly Demon. Moreover, Zhang Qiudao had found an extremely powerful extraterrestrial demon. Next came the appearance of the Xuanming Python, which was extremely pitiful.

Although the oppressive aura of its realm had not yet dissipated, it was far from being a lively and vigorous creature. An ominous aura shrouded its head, and where its horn had once been, it had been deeply dented, as if the Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail had truly smashed away the horn that had not yet grown, leaving not even ashes. However, that horn was not originally a tangible object.

It let out a painful howl, seemingly finally realizing it had chosen the wrong opponent, its single eye filled with fear and resentment. Its massive body began to slowly move, crawling towards the Gate of the Underworld. The blow had severely damaged it, reducing its speed to less than one percent of its former speed.

However, Yotsuya Miko watched it flee. She knew that this creature still had a lot of unused spiritual energy within it, and if she dared to show any sign of aggression, this ferocious beast would unleash all of that energy with the intention of mutual destruction. At this moment, she herself had also reached the point of exhausting all her means, only slightly better off than the Xuanming Python.

Although her eyes provided a powerful advantage in this battle, allowing her to catch the Xuanming Python off guard, she still had to bear the cost of those Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail. Aside from the use of spiritual energy, the casting of these Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail also meant the sacrifice of a large amount of Spiritual Sense and flesh. And now, all she could compensate for this loss was her Spiritual Sense.

The hundreds of Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail were indeed exhilarating and thrilling, but the price to pay afterward was equally enormous.

What do you think is the reason she's staying put?

After severing a massive amount of Spiritual Sense, the Soul Devouring Tribulation, which had been suppressed by the Spiritual Sense, showed signs of erupting. Accompanying the Soul Devouring Tribulation was also the pain throughout the body caused by the loss of Spiritual Sense. The Spiritual Sense would transmit the pain of the severance to the whole body to reduce the pain endured at once, but once too many Spiritual Sense were severed, it directly turned into pain throughout the whole body. This kind of pain was on the mental level and could not be blocked at all.

Yotsuya Miko suppressed her trembling body, suppressing all her Spiritual Sense, and merely stared at the Xuanming Python with half-open eyes. She was waiting, waiting for this creature to fall. The result transmitted by her Spiritual Sense had already declared its fate, no different from what her eyes had seen; this was merely a final burst of energy before death.

As long as she can stay calm and withstand these side effects, and use her last bit of spiritual energy when this guy truly collapses, then there's still a chance for things to turn around.

This Xuanming Python is undoubtedly the most suitable and top-grade resource for the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record. Once it is devoured, it can make up for this loss and suppress all the current side effects.

As long as it devours...

Suppressing the intense, consuming sensation and excruciating pain—a pain hundreds of times more intense than menstrual cramps—her consciousness was already becoming hazy. She couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, her mouth filled with the taste of rust. Her previous injuries flared up at this moment, further overwhelming her body.

Swaying its body, it looked again at the Xuanming Python, which was also struggling to survive. At some point, the creature's form had become indistinct, leaving only a wisp of black mist that could still be vaguely discerned.

Until, a dull, heavy sound of something falling to the ground.

She finally couldn't suppress the Soul Devouring Tribulation any longer.

Chapter 156 The Battle of Awakening

Yotsuya Miko felt as if she had fallen into an abyss. All she could see was darkness, no light at all. She could barely sense the existence of her own body, but could not see her own hands.

She felt no tangible sensation under her feet, as if she were walking on nothingness. She cautiously touched her thigh with her right hand, only then realizing that she still had legs.

In this void, there was no sound, no breath, no temperature, or anything else present, not even her body.

She couldn't feel the clothes, nor the rough, resistant fabric. Even when she touched her chest, she could only feel smooth, delicate skin and a soft body. The same was true for her upper body and lower body.

His original Spiritual Sense also vanished for no apparent reason, along with the Profound Nether Qi and spiritual energy within his body, taking away the Soul Devouring Tribulation and the pain in his body that should have been there.

At this moment, Miko returned to the time before he began cultivating immortality, to his weak childhood when he could see Ghosts but was powerless to do anything about them, and also to the time when he was a normal person who could not see Ghosts.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but her ears could not hear, and her words vanished into nothingness.

Then silence fell again, Miko stopped speaking.

If she had encountered such a bizarre situation before, she would probably have felt despair, cried out in despair, and begged someone to rescue her from this void.

And then, what if you really can't wait for someone to rescue you?

Then she should stop crying like that, right? What will she do then?

Self-rescue.

That was the image that another Yotsuya Miko should have presented in another world—a timid figure who was trying hard to save herself. She had no one to rely on but relied solely on her own tenacity to hold on in that despairing world that others could not see but she could, suppressing her fear little by little and preserving herself.

That kind of resilience is something many people can't achieve.

It is precisely because it is impossible that it is so precious, and it is this seemingly fragile woman that exudes the aura of a transcendent and powerful being.

Yotsuya Miko sighed, and that sigh vanished into nothingness.

She moved forward in silence, even though she didn't know the direction, even though she had lost all her strength.

She has nothing now, but she also feels a sense of inner peace.

She had once feared death and was afraid to fight powerful monsters.

But in the end, she still chose to fight the Mountain God, and in doing so, she used the Nightmare Refining Art, which she dared not use, and released a monster she had created.

But she still chose to face the Xuanming Python alone, which was several levels stronger than her, and miraculously defeated the ferocious beast, even at the heavy cost of hundreds of Soul Splitting Flesh Crushing Nail.

Every gain has its price. The very strength she relied on to achieve what she has today has also brought her hidden dangers.

However, if she were to abandon her strength because of these calamities, if she were unwilling to move forward because of the potential losses, if she were to choose to give up out of fear, wouldn't she be even worse than a scoundrel like Zhang Qiudao?

Such a demon sacrificed an entire world for his own realm, even though he ultimately failed. But his pursuit of the Dao never wavered on this path of demonic cultivation. He admitted that he was a demon, and he admitted that he destroyed his own world, but he never deviated from his path, which was to transcend the shackles of the Xuanhui Realm.

I am now a demonic cultivator.

She said this to herself, and took her first step.

It wasn't because they were forced, but because they were powerless.

Looking back on the choice she made that morning, it seems somewhat rash. If she hadn't made that choice then, would she have ended up in this situation today?

Kawamori's affairs will have nothing to do with her. She, Hana, and at most Yuria will spend their high school years together peacefully. Then comes university, and then entering the workforce, no longer a burden to her mother. After her father's death, her mother has already worked very hard taking care of herself and her younger brother alone.

Perhaps, if she hadn't cared, her life wouldn't have faced such turmoil.

But... is that really a good idea?

She took her next step, and thoughts gradually began to fill her mind.

Is she really okay like that?

Because we can see them, and because we are powerless to do anything about them, we can only choose to ignore them, allowing our lives to suffer all sorts of troubles. Even if we can control our emotions and choose not to care about those Ghosts, is that really a good thing?

Yotsuya Miko thought to herself and took the third step.

She suddenly remembered Zhang Qiudao's words, the words he had spoken to her on that rainy day. Perhaps that cheap master had already provided the best explanation for her confusion back then.

"If you join my path, you will be on the Demonic Path. Remember, the Demonic Path fears the strong and dreads the weak."

What is fear of the strong? What is fear of the weak?

She had thought about this question, but she always felt that these words were inexplicably strange.

If it is interpreted as fear of powerful beings while also fearing one's own weakness, or fear of becoming powerful because the stronger the Demonic Path, the greater the potential side effects, but also as being forced to become powerful because of one's own weakness, then it seems to deviate somewhat from the original meaning of this statement.

She didn't know how to understand it, but after defeating the Mountain God, she had grasped some of the clues, and now she finally understood.

Yotsuya Miko took the fourth step, followed by the fifth.

The emptiness that should have been intangible gave rise to the feeling of stepping on solid ground in her touch. What should have been soft soles touching the ground instead felt like metal hitting the earth.

That's the feel of a mutated three-clawed, two-legged creature.