Chapter 501: The Truth Begins to Surface!

"So that's how it is. When it acts upon a human body, although it causes them to degenerate and transform into various monstrous forms, the phenomenon of endlessly spreading reactions by devouring the Yin Rain of the Resentment Demons does not occur."

"Why is that?"

Wurei, who was carefully poking her head out from a corner to observe the rain-stained monster, asked in a soft voice.

"It is likely due to obsession, or perhaps magic power, or maybe even a combination of magic power and obsession. Hmm, looking at the various sect-related furnishings here, perhaps it is also due to wish-power. I cannot accurately determine it right now."

"I see, it's all human power!"

"Human... resentment, demonic energy, humans, the living beings of the mortal world—they have replaced spiritual energy with these, which is why a new yet fragile balance has formed?"

Du En had a new idea, but he could not be certain yet, nor did he have any spare time to ponder it further.

The reason was simple.

"He has discovered us."

"Eh?"

Wurei was startled, and being very trusting, she immediately hugged her head and crouched down.

Boom! A pestle-hammer swept past, smashing the wall to pieces.

Ah!

She let out a shout to bolster her courage, lunged forward, landed with a quick roll, and then used the momentum to stand up rapidly.

The monster was about to pursue, but a figure had already appeared before it, attacking with a flaming sword in hand.

Clang! The weapons of both sides collided, and they each recoiled.

"I am truly unimaginably weak right now, to think I can even block an attack from an opponent like this."

"Roar!"

The monster roared and leaped, its plant-like single leg transforming into a sharp spike as it attacked.

Du En flicked his hand, and flames shot out immediately, throwing the monster into a panic.

Just as it finished dealing with the scorching fire, his figure was already beside it, and the sword swept down sharply, directly severing one of the monster's arms.

"Roar!"

The monster let out a great roar and tried to swing the hammer with one hand, but it was useless; it was easily dodged, and another sword thrust pierced its brain, with divine fire spreading and burning.

After a bout of struggling and screaming, the monster went still, losing the ability to move.

Receiving a confirming signal, Wurei ran out from her hiding place to take over for Du En, who had turned into a ball of light.

To contain and purify, to help it find release.

This monster, which was much stronger than the Sludge Monster, held an even greater obsession, and as it reflected onto the two of them, it could still form a fragment of memory.

The Qing Kingdom has records.

Since no one knows when, a large number of monsters emerged beyond the Great Wall of the frontier left by the ancestors. They are fallen, filthy existences that bring unimaginable disasters, and can even turn the people of the nation into the same kind of monsters.

According to the research of historians, the disaster actually originated from the ancient Demon Race. After they were tragically exterminated, they left behind resentment and curses, which infected and polluted the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thus causing the appearance of fallen, filthy monsters.

Therefore, people called this kind of monster a Resentment Demon.

"Resentment Demon... what... exactly, is it... why, is there ultimately no salvation..."

As the obsession accompanied the listening, the true spirit departed, leaving behind a body that was struggling to reach its hand forward, attempting to grasp some answer, before it was petrified.

The pain Wurei felt was even more intense, and even with Du En sharing it, it could not be eased for a time. While he continued to share the burden, he could not help but think.

Resentment and hatred, hatred and sorrow—they are actually very close emotions.

Resentment Demon, Sorrow Demon, Great Sorrow Human Demon, Human Demon... when it comes down to it, what is a demon? From the perspective of the Demonic Path and demonic cultivators, a demon is actually a philosophy, a philosophy of immortal cultivation that insists that if Heaven does not grant it, I shall take it myself. The methods are extremely extreme, all for the pursuit of attaining the Dao, preferably through shortcuts, thus creating a whole host of harmful and wicked tricks.

The Sorrow Demonic Path is one of them. The current Five Great Immortal Sects are called immortal sects, but in reality, after wiping out the ancient Demonic Path, they also took over their mantle and carried it forward to an extreme degree. Countless living beings in countless star realms across the Boundless Universe have all become the price for various schemes and plots.

Then, could this Resentment Demon, or rather, the predecessor Demon Race, be a branch of the Demonic Path? Du En had never heard of a Demon Race among the Ten Thousand Spirits, but there were swarms of ancient Demonic Path sects. So, is this realm the base camp of this branch of the Demonic Path? After being defeated, suppressed, and eliminated by the Falling Feather Immortal Sect, did they use their resentment to eventually cultivate the Resentment Demon Yin Rain and so on?

No, that's not right. The Resentment Demon Yin Rain was not in that intense obsession at all; this should be something that appeared later... The Immortal Sect still has plans here, but this doesn't seem right either. True Monarch Regretful Emotion now controls this realm.

With her abilities, she even tore the likes of the Spirit Mother to shreds. Looking back now, it was truly clumsy and pathetic; she had completely taken the wrong path of Resentment Evil.

What could become Resentment Evil in the Queguang Star Realm was actually the Twin Dao Embryos that sank into the core, and they were significantly influenced by the Great Cultivator Mo Ju... By following the path of the Dao, only to preserve humanity, then, evil naturally arose and extended to the bloodline. It was in a muddled state that the Spirit Mother appeared.

That Great Dao, Mo Ju's path, is it actually the entanglement of human will and human resentment? Perhaps that Great Cultivator realized this back then, which is why they did not attempt to break through the star realm to seek a new path, but instead used the Twin Dao Embryos as a basis for research. Only then could they deconstruct the immortality and indestructibility of Resentment Evil without formally achieving the Great Dao.

Because one cannot run away. Once Resentment Evil sprouts, it will closely pursue those directly involved, turning them into nutrients, and even under the influence of causality, fate, and life sources, it can plunder everything related to them the moment it is born! Looking at it this way, the reason why the senior True Monarchs and True Immortals of the Queguang Star Realm mysteriously perished and disappeared as soon as they left the star realm is likely because of this! They were eaten!

And there is another returner... Perhaps the Great Cultivator Mo Ju used them to fish out the Dao Embryo. It was likely an Evil Embryo, only it was managed to be dismembered into Twin Dao Embryos, and in the midst of the splitting, blood named Spirit Mother flowed out, which was misunderstood and utilized by True Monarch Regretful Emotion...

With his perspective elevated, Du En's thoughts became increasingly divergent, and he could diverge even further.

Suddenly, he thought of the time in the Qingxuan Star Realm, when Xu Tianci had an evil cultivator manifestation. They studied evil arrays and practiced the Heavenly Evil Ancient Demon Body Divine Devouring Array, which originated from the Ancient Heavenly Demon Sect.

Heavenly Demon Sect, Heavenly Demon, Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm! And when he was in the Life Source Star Realm, that evil flood dragon imprisoned by the Holy God once described the Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm like this.

Ghosts from beyond the sky, dust of the past!

He sorted through his thoughts and speculated that the origin of the Demonic Path should be related to the Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm, because the Heavenly Demon Sect was the first demonic sect to gain momentum since records began, and "Heavenly Demon" clearly points to the Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm. However, in the mouths of those with ancient inheritances, the Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm had long since perished.

Well, one cannot be so certain, but it is true that they suffered some kind of heavy blow, to the point of being despised.

In this way, given the Demonic Path's unscrupulous style, it would be normal for them to take the opportunity to invade and seize it, and then it is very likely that because of this, they brought "Demon Seeds"—Heavenly Demon Seeds from beyond the realm that are different from the original phenomena of the mortal world!

Immediately after, Resentment Evil stepped onto the stage of history, followed by the Immortal Realm pulling away the Immortal Ascension Ladder, sealing the Heavenly Gate, and then Resentment Evil truly made its appearance...

"I am afraid I have come to a critical star realm. Resentment and demons, linked by spirit, humans replacing spirits, ultimately degenerating—this might also be why the birth of Resentment Evil requires the Star's Children, who are born as living beings, to serve as the prenatal womb..."

Du En pondered calmly.

As long as he further investigates the origin of that Resentment Demon, the connection between resentment and demons, and confirms the existence of so-called Heavenly Demon Seeds from beyond the realm or the cause, he might be able to verify his speculation.

He had been thinking about this matter for a while, and only when he came back to his senses did he discover a pair of eyes looking at him calmly, faintly appearing to show approval.

Du En looked away.

So, Supreme One, is this what you wanted me to know? Or rather, stars, is this your intention?

"Du En, Du En, I think I have obtained a magic power."

The young girl's lively voice rang out, carrying a hint of joy, as if she felt she could help more.

"Show me." Du En was also somewhat curious about what power she could obtain, and the description of the mana was also somewhat subtle; it should tend more toward the great mana after the Deity Transformation stage, rather than simple mana.

Thus, he saw Wurei holding her breath in place, her cheeks slightly puffed, and then light appeared in her hands—not a pure, clear emerald light, but a dim, grayish-black, misty color that stained the young girl's face with a touch of pain.

Clearly, this kind of manifestation put an extra burden on her, and because it flowed from within, the protection of the forehead chain could not take effect, and it was difficult for Du En to help share the burden.

However, she had no intention of stopping, and seeing this scene, Du En said nothing.

"Ha!"

Wurei gave a shout in a decent manner, the sound still sounding a bit naive, and then a huge camellia hammer suddenly appeared in her hands; compared to her petite figure, the disparity between them was even more pronounced.

The source went without saying: it was the Grudge Demon that had just been encompassed, transferred, and purified.

She should not have been able to hold and swing it, but at this moment, faint black-gray veins spread across her hands; they were blood vessels emerging and protruding, trembling slightly, with signs of tumorous growth.

That was why she had obtained enough strength to use the camellia hammer.

Wurei did not care about the changes in her hands, but instead swung the camellia hammer with huffs and puffs, looking exactly like someone who had just obtained a grass-cutting blade, only she did not damage anything nearby.

"How is it? I'm amazing, right!"

"Transfer, encompass, and then catalyze—amazing is amazing, but the burden is not small."

"Haha, there is a little bit."

"The key lies in your combat experience, or whether your combat intuition is sufficient. If it's not enough, it's just a 'turtle hammer'; you can only go up and swing wildly, and you can't form any coordination with me at all."

Du En's blunt and sharp critique made her suddenly feel a bit dejected.

"However, if you can coordinate well, you can actually help me. In short, practice first."

"Okay!"

The young girl immediately regained her spirits.

"Put it away, don't maintain it for a long time, so as not to put too much burden on yourself. Also, you must rely on practice to get rid of the spell-casting wind-up; enemies won't give you time to hold your breath and puff your cheeks."

"That's really harsh and direct."

"I have always been like this."

"Is that so? To be able to always be like this, that's really good, hehe."

The young girl's steps were light and nimble, her smile pure, and in Du En's eyes, it was even a bit silly.

The overcast rain fell, converging and pouring down.

Amidst the splashing sound, they drew closer and closer to the outside world.

The Grudge Demons that appeared next were not those meat-tumor monsters that only knew how to crawl on the ground; of course, they were not at the level of the camellia hammer man-eating flower either.

They should have been those who were once in the inner area, who could be considered to have high positions and great power, who had fallen and transformed. By the time they reached the outer area, there appeared humanoid Grudge Demon guards holding various long-range and melee weapons.

Du En manifested and held his sword, divine fire burning and covering it.

Clang—he parried the incoming great axe with one strike.

"Now."

"Ha!"

Wurei suddenly leaped down from a high place, a camellia hammer smashing down with a boom; she was almost carried away by the momentum to flip in the air, directly smashing the axe-wielding guard until his whole body was a mess.

Even so, he did not die, but struggled to continue standing up.

"Guard... not allowed, to step in..."

Although he had fallen and transformed, and in a sense had already died, his obsession was still driving him, making him want to continue fighting even if he were smashed to pieces.

Even if the weapon was pointed at the people and things he once wanted to guard.

Wurei hurriedly retracted the camellia hammer, rolled and leaped upon landing, and arrived in front of the one smashed to pieces.

Her movements were smooth and flowing, clearly having received much training.

Her endurance of suffering had gradually adapted, and she was already able to suppress her expression.

It was just that as Du En watched, he did not know whether training her like this was right or wrong.

He said nothing more, silently sharing the pain.

The guard's obsession manifested a much more complete memory.

"Only the most powerful, most resilient, and most devout people can become the guardian warriors of the Shaman Priest!"

"Therefore, young people, hone your will and martial arts, be demanding of your own strength and obsession; there will be those among you who stand out, and at that time, you will hold the most glorious position!"

His own figure, the figures of the people on the platform around him, and everything else had been forgotten and disappeared; there was only a dark, hazy expanse, and the only things clear were the words of the person on the platform, and further behind, a divine tree whose tip pierced through the mountain architecture and stood tall and straight.

"Glory, obsession... in the end, gone..."

With the liberation of the true spirit, the transfer of the fall and transformation was encompassed, and the guard, who had quietly turned into rubble, finally spat out words from which even emotion had disappeared.

Seemingly because of these poignant words, behind the door in front, amidst the cover of what sounded like a waterfall, unusual movement appeared at this moment.

A foul will was vaguely brewing, as if about to erupt.

"No time to rest. I'm afraid the most terrifying Grudge Demon of this place is ahead."

Du En spoke thus, his calmness carrying a trace of gravity.

Right now, his state was truly hard to look at, while the guy behind the door was quite powerful; if one had to make an intuitive comparison, it was like Foundation Establishment fighting Golden Core—even if two were fighting one, it would be very hard to fight.

If he could drag it out, he would want to, but unfortunately, the current situation could not be dragged out at all; the Grudge Demons appeared restless, and within a certain area, they were all moving toward Wurei, who had begun to act.

I am afraid that as time passes, the Grudge Demons in the distance will likely do the same. If one does not want to be trapped in heavy encirclement, one can only adopt the form of taking the initiative to attack.

And one must also explore and obtain all kinds of information about this world as much as possible, to piece together the hidden truth behind it.

Wurei did not waver, nodding silently and breathing deeply.

Then she stepped forward and launched a sprint, rushing through the overcast rain convergence in front that was like a door curtain and a barrier.

Before I knew it, it's already chapter 500. The Grudge Demon Realm, the final star realm of the protagonist's Deity Transformation stage journey, can be seen from the name that it is vastly different from other star realms... Come to think of it, writing a progression-style story as a plot-driven novel, no wonder it's thankless work.

(End of chapter)