Chapter 191.1: Three Principles and a Compound Divine Technique! (I)
Mo Lei was both shocked and furious, but there was nothing he could do. This group had been thrown together at the last moment, so expecting any real unity between them would have been wishful thinking. If he were in their position, he would not want to get dragged into trouble either.
"Hmph!" Mo Lei sneered. "Zhao Yuanshan hired you, didn't he? You want to kill me? Let's see if you have what it takes!"
His Mind Space erupted outward, and a chilling aura spread from within it, turning the area around him into a world of ice. He had yet to use any divine techniques; this was only his Ice Principle, yet it carried a force so powerful that as if anything caught within its range would be frozen solid.
It was said that Mo Lei's Ice Principle could freeze up to one-thousand li, but whether that was true or not depended on the reach of his Mind Space. If his Mind Space could extend a thousand li, then his Ice Principle could definitely freeze anything within that range.
Regardless, one thing was clear: Mo Lei was no weakling. Otherwise, he would never have dared to refuse to pay his debt to Zhao Yuanshan.
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed. His Ice Principle has likely progressed to at least fifty percent.
The power of a Principle surged greatly past fifty percent progress. As far as Lu Changsheng was concerned, his Fire Principle had only reached ten percent, so even with the support of his Mind Space, it was unlikely to withstand Mo Lei's Ice Principle head-on.
Nevertheless, Lu Changsheng still wanted to test it for himself.
"Burn!"
His Mind Space projected outward, and blazing flames surged forward, rushing straight into Mo Lei's Ice Principle. The Fire Principle burned fiercely at first, but it could not hold for long. Mo Lei's Ice Principle swept forward with overwhelming force, crushing everything in its path, and wherever the cold advanced, the flames in Lu Changsheng's Mind Space were extinguished.
Seeing this, Mo Lei smiled. So this is the Dao Foundation expert Zhao Yuanshan dug up, huh? I thought he'd send someone more powerful, but there's nothing special about this guy at all. No way he can take me down.
Mo Lei's two companions, who had been watching from the side, exchanged glances, then their expressions grew grim.
"Mo Lei's really strong. His Ice Principle is on another level compared to ours. This random Dao Foundation martial artist is no match for him."
"You're right. Even though Mo Lei only has one Principle, he has spent a lot of time immersing himself in it. He's practiced the Ice Principle to a profound and unfathomable level."
"If this random martial artist doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve, he's probably going to lose. Should we take this opportunity to attack him together? Maybe we can mend our relationship with Mo Lei."
"No, let's wait a little longer."
Their expressions shifted back and forth as uncertainty and hesitation warred in their eyes.
By now, Lu Changsheng had already confirmed that his Fire Principle alone could not withstand Mo Lei's Ice Principle.
"As expected from a man who dares owe Zhao Yuanshan," Lu Changsheng remarked with a serious expression. "But a single Principle won't be enough..."
The next moment, his mind stirred. Divine Technique, Void Incineration!
Boom!
Flames erupted throughout Lu Changsheng's Mind Space. The fire that had nearly been extinguished by Mo Lei's Ice Principle suddenly surged back to life, burning with a force several times greater than before. Then, the ice that had spread through Lu Changsheng's Mind Space thawed, turning into streams of water before evaporating in the heat.
Mo Lei immediately felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, so heavy that he could barely breathe.
Is this... Void Incineration? This is one of the supreme fire divine techniques of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect! And it seems to have reached Perfection too... How does he have a supreme divine technique that has reached Perfection?!
A chill ran through Mo Lei, sharper than his own Ice Principle. His Ice Principle had seemed unstoppable moments ago, but under the power of Lu Changsheng's Void Incineration, it melted and shattered almost instantly.
He gritted his teeth. "Divine Technique, Ice Seal!"
He unleashed his own divine technique, but the gap between them was too great. His Ice Seal had only reached Initial Mastery. It was definitely better than relying on the Ice Principle alone, but against Lu Changsheng's Void Incineration that had reached Perfection, this growth in power was insignificant.
The fire pushed forward, and even Mo Lei's Mind Space started to distort. Though it was filled with ice crystals, they could not stop the flames. The fire burned through them bit by bit until it finally reached Mo Lei himself.
"No! Nooo!" Mo Lei let out a shrill scream and tried to flee, but inside Lu Changsheng's Mind Space, even a Teleportation Talisman was useless. His only chance was to break through the Mind Space by force, but with Lu Changsheng's Void Incineration already bearing down on him, there was no way he could do that.
A few seconds later, everything fell silent. Only Lu Changsheng's blazing Mind Space remained. As for Mo Lei, he had been reduced to ashes. This was a testament to just how terrifying a supreme divine technique could be, especially one that has reached Perfection. Such power was simply inconceivable.
Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. Huh... That was easier than expected. I didn't even need to use my Mental Principle, much less Mental Millstone. Void Incineration alone was enough to obliterate him.
Also, good thing I captured everything with a recording stone. Otherwise, with him reduced to ashes, there'd be no way to prove I've successfully carried out my mission.
Truth be told, he had expected this from the start. When Dao Foundation experts clashed, a defeated opponent could easily be reduced to dust and ashes, leaving nothing behind except certain special items. That was why he had prepared in advance. With the recording stone, he would at least have proof that he had killed Mo Lei.
Seeing Mo Lei reduced to ashes, his two companions shuddered, then felt a deep wave of relief.
"Mo Lei... He's dead..."
"Who would have thought Mo Lei would die just like that? Most Dao Foundation experts at this level have only mastered one Principle, so the differences in strength usually aren't big enough for one side to effortlessly obliterate the other. But it seems like this man has practiced a supreme divine technique to Perfection. With that kind of advantage, the difference becomes too great."
"Good thing we didn't get involved. Let's go. We need to leave Hidden Mist Mountain immediately."
The two men exchanged a glance, then fled without looking back, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Lu Changsheng did not leave right away. Instead, his gaze shifted to the Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon still trapped inside his Mind Space, and a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. He had not expected this kind of extra reward while hunting down Mo Lei at Hidden Mist Mountain.
A wind-attribute heavenly demon...
Fortunately, Lu Changsheng happened to possess a seed of the Wind Principle, and he needed the essence blood of a wind-attribute heavenly demon. Since this one had delivered itself to him, he would naturally take advantage of the opportunity.
Suppress!
His Mind Space immediately moved to suppress the Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon, but it refused to submit.
The demon had thrashed about and caused trouble throughout his battle with Mo Lei, and Lu Changsheng had barely managed to keep it under control. But now that Mo Lei was dead, he could put his entire focus into suppressing the demon.
Boom!
A terrifying pressure surged within Lu Changsheng's Mind Space. It was an entirely new Principle—his Mental Principle. He chose the Mental Principle for two reasons. First, his Fire Principle was too destructive. It could burn almost anything to ashes, and if he accidentally incinerated the Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon, there would be no essence blood left to collect.
Second, the Mental Principle was naturally suited for dealing with demons. It attacked the mind, and demons were weaker than martial artists in that aspect. Against Lu Changsheng's Mental Principle, it would entirely lose the ability to resist.
As he expected, the moment he unleashed his Mental Principle, the Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon let out a miserable screech. Its mind was being torn apart by an invisible force, and its frantic struggles ceased at once.
Perfect! Now I can easily extract the Heavenly Demon Essence Blood.
With a muffled bang, the Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon exploded, and Lu Changsheng proceeded to extract its essence blood at once. A moment later, the Heavenly Demon had vanished completely, and Lu Changsheng held a vial of crimson essence blood in his hand.
One drop of Heavenly Demon Essence Blood. An unexpected bonus! A smile lingered on his face as he prepared to leave.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, two bursts of raging wind howled toward Lu Changsheng, sweeping across the sky as if they meant to tear him apart.
His expression shifted slightly. Another Wind-Winged Heavenly Demon? No, there's two of them.
He activated his Sense Domain at once in order to grasp the situation. There were indeed two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons, along with more than a hundred ordinary Wind-Winged Demons. In a situation like this, even martial artists who had mastered Principles would have to flee. Staying behind would be suicide.
Lu Changsheng could also sense the rage emanating from the two Heavenly Demons. His eyes narrowed slightly.
The two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons are probably related to the one I just killed. Very closely connected, from the looks of it. I guess they came for revenge, and they brought more than a hundred Wind-Winged Demons with them. It's practically their entire nest.
If he only had his Fire Principle, he would have fled without hesitation. These were Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons at Hidden Mist Mountain, and his Fire Principle could not specifically counter them. With more than a hundred of them coming at him together, staying behind would be suicide if he only had his Fire Principle.
However, things were different now. He had the Mental Principle, and also a mental divine technique.
The dense horde of demons roared as the two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons stirred up violent storms and charged toward Lu Changsheng with overwhelming force.
Lu Changsheng stood in place and took a slow breath, maintaining his composure.
"Divine Technique, Mental Millstone!"
Buzz!
A massive millstone appeared, looking almost tangible. It blotted out the surroundings and floated above the entire horde of demons—including the two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons. The next second, it descended.
The demons roared once more, clearly feeling the immense pressure bearing down on them. However, their struggle was futile. The Mental Millstone continued its unstoppable, crushing descent, affecting the minds of every last demon below.
Rumble... Rumble...
A rumbling force swept through the demons as the millstone crushed their minds. They struggled with all their might, but they were no match for a supreme mental divine technique that had already reached Perfection. The power of the Mental Millstone was far beyond what ordinary demons could withstand. Even the two Heavenly Demons could not endure it.
The two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons let out miserable cries, unable to remain in the air. They plunged straight toward the ground, and the rest of the demons quickly followed.
Thud! Thud! Bang!
The demons crashed down from the sky, creating large craters on the ground upon impact. Their physiques were strong enough to survive a fall like this, but none of them moved after the impact.
More than a hundred Wind-Winged Demons lay scattered across the ground, every one of them completely lifeless. With a single strike, Lu Changsheng had eliminated the entire horde of demons.
The sight was deeply unsettling. There were no wounds on their bodies; there had been no flames, no blood, and no earth-shaking destruction. They had simply died from the silent strike of the Mental Millstone, their minds crushed and annihilated.
Even Lu Changsheng himself felt a chill down his spine as he gazed across the battlefield.
This Principle is incredible... and the mental divine technique is insane!
The Mental Millstone and Void Incineration were both divine techniques, but they were complete opposites. Void Incineration shook heaven and earth with raging flames, burning everything in its path until most enemies were reduced to ashes. The Mental Millstone, on the other hand, killed from within. It crushed the mind and left opponents dead without so much as a scratch on their bodies.
To Lu Changsheng, neither was superior to the other. Their usage depended on the situation he found himself in. However, for dealing with demons in general, the Mental Principle was clearly the better choice.
Lu Changsheng happily gathered the essence blood from the two Wind-Winged Heavenly Demons. His trip to Hidden Mist Mountain had been meant only to track down Mo Lei, not to hunt Heavenly Demons. Still, he was not about to complain about an unexpected gain. Three drops of essence blood from wind-attribute Heavenly Demons were indeed a nice bonus!
