Skin Tempering Demon's True Form Revealed!

Four hours later.

Deep within Heavenly Severing Mountain, the earth trembled as a blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky, blotting out half the heavens.

Such a tremendous disturbance was clearly visible even from over a hundred miles away.

A spiritual pressure suddenly descended upon the hearts of all living beings within a hundred-mile radius.

Luo Chen abruptly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed solemnly on the distant depths.

"What an intense Demonic Beast aura!"

In the distance, Wang Yue sent out the assembly signal.

The Demon Suppressing Guards all gathered toward that outpost.

Luo Chen's figure flashed as he swiftly darted across the steep cliffs.

A Messenger flew over through the air.

Wang Yue opened the letter, his expression changing as he spoke to Luo Chen, who had just arrived.

"The Colonel has ordered all Demon Suppressing Guards to withdraw from the Heavenly Severing Mountain region."

Luo Chen did not understand and asked.

"Why?"

"The letter doesn't say. We follow orders!"

The two fell silent.

Deafening rumbles came from the end of the horizon, as though an earth dragon had turned over.

Before long, the remaining Demon Suppressing Guards had assembled.

Wang Yue said nothing more and pulled Luo Chen away.

"Now isn't the time to act tough."

Luo Chen glanced back at the pillar of light deep within the mountains, then followed Wang Yue away.

They had been stationed at the very outer edge to begin with.

An hour later,

The group had already left the Heavenly Severing Mountain region.

Before long, they joined up with the main force led by Yue Wuchang.

"Colonel, what is the situation now?"

Yue Wuchang's expression was incomparably ugly, his face livid.

"Li Tiankui has rebelled! He ambushed the main camp and concealed his true strength."

Demon Suppression Captains were also divided into ranks, from lowest to highest: Third-Rank to First-Rank.

The distinction lay in the number of golden patterns inscribed upon their robes.

Every golden pattern represented countless Demonic Beast corpses and accumulated merit.

Yue Wuchang was a Third-Rank Demon Suppression Captain, and the area he guarded was likewise on the outermost perimeter.

Now that a traitor had emerged in the main camp, he could only lead the Demon Suppressing Guards in fleeing first. His expression was grim.

"We have already lost one Demon Suppression Captain. The whereabouts of the remaining two Captains are unknown, and Li Tiankui is looking for them.

"As for the Chief Director..."

Yue Wuchang looked at the pillar of light gradually fading at the end of the horizon, worry written across his face.

As long as the Chief Director remained undefeated, all of this was a minor matter.

But if the Chief Director lost, Qingyuan City would be completely forced into a passive position, with the danger of utter collapse.

Luo Chen said nothing. He was certain now.

Li Tiankui was definitely connected to the Skin Tempering Demon.

Based on the intelligence he possessed,

Li Tiankui was either a Skin Puppet of the Skin Tempering Demon, or the Skin Tempering Demon was by his side.

The second possibility was somewhat more likely.

Seeing that all the Demon Suppressing Guards had arrived, Yue Wuchang gave an order.

"You all stand guard outside. If anything goes wrong, return to the city and report it."

With that said.

Yue Wuchang gritted his teeth, gripped his weapon, and headed toward the depths of Heavenly Severing Mountain.

"My lord, you mustn't! It's too dangerous!"

"Colonel!"

Faced with everyone's cries, Yue Wuchang did not turn back, disappearing into the depths of the mountain forest.

Behind the group, unnoticed by anyone, Luo Chen's figure vanished as well.

By the time Wang Yue wanted to look for Luo Chen,

he discovered that Luo Chen had already disappeared without a trace.

"This brat!"

Within a steep mountain forest.

Three figures faced off, and the atmosphere was frozen solid.

Li Tiankui's towering, burly body exerted immense pressure on those opposite him.

The expressions of the two Demon Suppression Captains across from him were exceptionally ugly.

One of them cursed furiously.

"Li Tiankui, aren't you afraid the Chief Director will return and settle accounts with you?"

"Are you so certain the Chief Director will lose?"

Rather than becoming angry at the rebuke, Li Tiankui laughed.

At his feet, the corpse of a Demon Suppression Captain rose unsteadily to its feet.

Suddenly, the corpse opened its eyes.

A crimson spot appeared between its brows and spread outward from the center, until an entire layer of skin peeled away.

The sight sent chills through the two Demon Suppression Captains from head to toe.

"Skin Tempering Demon!"

"Li Tiankui, you've got some nerve, colluding with Demonic Beasts!"

"Hehe." From the hollow openings where that skin membrane's mouth and nose should have been came a teasing voice.

"Master, leave them to me!"

As the words fell.

The skin membrane suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a vast sheet of skin that blotted out the sky.

Like a canopy of heaven, it enveloped the two Demon Suppression Captains below.

The two exchanged a glance, their protective force erupting as they struck the skin membrane. Yet their attacks vanished like clay oxen sinking into the sea, without stirring a single ripple.

"This is bad!"

The two looked at each other.

The sky-covering skin membrane began to contract, like an overturned bowl slowly shrinking.

No matter how the two within unleashed every trick in their arsenal, they could do nothing.

A quarter of an hour later, two "silkworm cocoons" tightly wrapped in Demon Skin appeared on the ground.

"Master, the new Skin Puppets will be refined very soon!"

The corners of the ghostly face behind Li Tiankui gradually curled upward as it spoke softly.

Li Tiankui, however, showed no joy. His gaze landed behind him.

The sound of footsteps gradually approached.

It was Luo Chen, who had followed Little Butterfly's trail all the way here.

"Skin Tempering Demon, we finally meet."

Luo Chen drew Golden Scale, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

He looked toward the two Demon Suppression Captains wrapped within the Skin Puppets on the ground. They would be fine for the time being.

"Interesting. I hadn't even gone looking for you, yet you delivered yourself right to my door!"

The muscles across Li Tiankui's tall, burly body suddenly tightened.

"Kid, don't tell me you think we never had a chance to kill you?"

"I heard you've already broken through to the Blood Moving Realm!"

"A Martial Bone truly is powerful."

"Back then, in order to gain this strength, I brushed past death who knows how many times, only for you to catch up in a single year."

Li Tiankui spoke with feeling, his gaze gradually turning feverish.

After receiving nourishment from the Blood Moving Realm, a Martial Bone could briefly leave the body.

Though a transplanted Martial Bone provided less than thirty percent of its former boost to one's talent,

there was still a chance of obtaining the innate divine ability engraved within the Martial Bone. That was the true great opportunity.

Seeing Li Tiankui's current state, Luo Chen could not help but pour a basin of cold water over him, making him sober up a little.

"Who told you I have a Martial Bone?"

He spread his hands and said innocently.

"I'm just an ordinary martial artist!"

"Impossible!" Li Tiankui froze for a moment before retorting.

"It doesn't matter if you deny it. I'll personally tear open your chest and take a look!"

He grinned savagely as divine power bloomed from the one hundred and eight Mysterious Apertures throughout his body.

With every step he took, the ground shattered like a spiderweb.

When everyone believed he had opened only twelve Mysterious Apertures,

he had already opened one hundred and eight Mysterious Apertures three years ago, bringing his Mysterious Apertures to completion.

If not for his insufficient comprehension,

the lofty Divine Intent Realm would have seemed within reach as well.

Thus, he had gone to every length to refine a Skin Tempering Demon into his body.

He wanted to carve out another path, beginning with martial divine abilities and thereby stepping into the Divine Intent Realm.

The Skin Tempering Demon's skin-refining ability was a Demonic Beast divine ability. It simply had not matured before he captured and refined it.

The hardships of this journey had made Li Tiankui hate those favored geniuses.

The things he fought desperately to obtain were things those people could acquire with ease.

And Luo Chen made him even more envious and resentful.