The devil descended from the sky, and his fists suppressed the mountains and rivers

Chapter 342 Fighting from Afar: All Means Fail (Part 2)
Upon hearing Lianhua's words, the demonic flames surrounding Yi Beidou paused slightly.

The matter of Hung Tat-tung is indeed one of the few unresolved issues for him now. The reason he stepped out of the country in the first place, wanting to measure the world, was to delve into the secrets behind the Pioneer Group and resolve the cause and effect related to Hung Tat-tung.

However, things took an unexpected turn later. The Mediterranean incident distracted him and brought to light a hidden world that he had never encountered before.

But that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about it.

According to the email left by Hong Datong, the other party should already be dead, but Lianhua just said that she met with the other party not long ago, which has indeed aroused Yi Beidou's interest.

Even knowing that Lotus's purpose was to buy time, and even knowing that there was probably little truth in his words, he still wanted to listen.

Seeing that Yi Beidou's attempt to break through the illusion had stopped, Lianhua smiled slightly, as if she had seen her prey successfully lured into her trap.

"Not long ago, I had a brief encounter with him in the River of Humanity. Perhaps he has already glimpsed the highest realm of spiritual cultivation."

“I told you before, your master couldn’t really be dead. It was all part of his plan. He had the whole world in mind. What he wanted was a world upheaval, a change of the times, and a cataclysmic upheaval in the river of humanity.”

"And you are a pawn he has laid out, a tool he has used to stir up the world, and the sharpest knife on his path to becoming a true spirit and standing shoulder to shoulder with an earth immortal."

"You think you're invincible in this world, walking among the people like a god, but you're just being manipulated by a big hand behind the scenes. Do you think what you want is what you truly want? That might just be a 'goal' secretly set for you by Hong Datong."

"The Freedom of Mind Technique and the Freedom of Heavenly Demon are nothing but puppets on strings. When have you ever truly been 'free'? Don't you think that seems a bit ridiculous?"

Lotus smiled as she spoke, but her words were sharp and piercing, carrying an extreme sense of malice and possessing a captivating power that could penetrate the heart.

At this moment, he seemed to be the demon who was causing chaos in people's hearts.

This is the purpose of the lotus.

Attack the heart.

He knew Hong Datong very well and had also carefully studied Yi Beidou's actions, so he was very clear about Hong Datong's position in Yi Beidou's heart.

Yi Beidou attained enlightenment through Hong Datong's "Freedom Mind Technique." Those who attain enlightenment through this method ultimately pursue the word "freedom," which is also their greatest inner conflict.

Once he points out the key, he can directly attack Yi Beidou's fundamental Dao.

With wavering resolve and weakened will, one's cultivation level may regress rather than advance.

This is the inner demon.

Yi Beidou's actions were all part of Hong Datong's plan. He was like a puppet on a string, yet he thought he was at ease. This was the biggest flaw, making all his actions a laughing stock.

As expected, after hearing Lianhua's words, Yi Beidou fell silent for a moment, and the demonic flames around him flickered erratically.

"If it weren't for Hong Datong, what would you be like today? Your demonic nature would probably have been uncontrollable long ago, and you would have died under modern guns. How could you have achieved enlightenment then?"

Seeing that Yi Beidou seemed to be wavering, Lotus continued to speak, and the entire illusion changed completely, as if it had seen through Yi Beidou's thoughts and transformed into a scene from his memory.

In a dimly lit room, crimson blood splattered all over the walls, and several bloodied, riddled corpses lay on the floor: a tall man, a seemingly harmless woman, and a kind-looking old man.

A little boy held a fruit knife in his hand, looking at his masterpiece. His chest heaved violently, and his whole body trembled, but not out of fear. Instead, his eyes shone with an indescribable excitement.

In a corner of the room, several children huddled together, staring at the little boy with eyes that seemed to look at a monster.

This is a memory of Yi Beidou being abducted as a child, killing several human traffickers single-handedly, and also the initial awakening of his demonic nature.

Normally, Hong Datong would appear at this time to help him resolve everything, but this time Hong Datong did not appear. Instead, the commotion and screams attracted the attention of the neighbors, and police sirens soon sounded downstairs.

As expected, Yi Beidou was taken away by the police. Although he was released because he killed a human trafficker and was too young, he became a key target of attention for relevant departments.

His demonic nature grew stronger day by day until he could no longer suppress it. He began to seek the most bloody thrills, and even killed his cousin Xu Zifu when she accidentally stumbled upon his "hunting" trail.
The final result was predictable.

“Look, without Hung Tat-tung, this is your result. Your freedom comes from the charity of others and from their plans. Your righteous path and your self-esteem have been a joke from beginning to end.”

At this moment, another voice rang in Yi Beidou's mind, but this voice seemed to be different from the lotus's voice.

This is not the voice of a living being, but the voice of a demonic calamity.

It had been an unknown amount of time since Yi Beidou had heard such a terrifying sound.

Yi Beidou had mastered the Free Mind Technique, but he still had one major flaw in his mind, and that flaw was Hong Datong.

Now, this flaw has been exposed under Lotus's deliberate guidance.

Cracks appeared in his once smoothly functioning Free Mind Technique, as if he had returned to those twenty years of cultivation, where demonic tribulations arose and he could hardly concentrate on anything else.

Lotus's guess was correct. Hong Datong held a very important place in Yi Beidou's heart. It could be said that without Hong Datong, there would be no Yi Beidou as we know him today. His life was changed because of this person.

In fact, Yi Beidou had long considered his relationship with Hong Datong and made some preparations in his mind, but he did not expect that when he actually faced this problem, the demonic tribulation that appeared would be so powerful.

As the light in Yi Beidou's eyes gradually dimmed and the demonic flames around him began to flicker like a candle in the wind, a smile appeared on Lianhua's lips.

He knew that this person had fallen into a demonic calamity.

"It's time for you to make your move, Fellow Daoist Huaqing."

Lotus whispered to herself, as if she were sending a message to some unknown entity.

"understood."

A voice responded.

Meanwhile, a dozen kilometers away from Yi Beidou's aircraft, high in the sky, a humanoid figure that blended almost seamlessly into its surroundings was speeding by.

Soaring through the clouds, traversing the mist like immortals, its speed is comparable to that of the world's most advanced fighter jets, and it doesn't even use its full strength.

If this scene were witnessed by someone, they would surely be amazed by it as a miracle.

But in reality, this figure is not a physical entity, but a condensation of life magnetic field, which is the yang spirit of a high-level master who has left his body.

However, even if an ordinary Yang spirit can leave the body during the day, it cannot stray too far from the body, let alone fly to a high altitude. Otherwise, it will inevitably be blown away by the chaotic celestial winds above the nine heavens and dissipate into rainbow light.

For example, Zhou Qingchen used the method of Yang Shen leaving the body to allow his life magnetic field to leave his body and fly to the high sky to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, thereby enhancing his cultivation.

Clearly, this flying yang spirit broke many taboos.

His true form is unknown, perhaps thousands of miles away, and he flies in the sky, unaffected by the fierce winds of the heavens. In a sense, he has already reached the level of a true immortal in Taoist mythology.

This is the supernatural power possessed by the slumbering being, codenamed "Huaqing Immortal," from the ancient and secretive organization of Donghua. It is the Heavenly Yang God.

At this moment, Hua Qingxian had also noticed Yi Beidou's unusual behavior.

The demonic flames enveloping the fighter jet had noticeably dimmed and subsided, appearing to flicker erratically, giving it the appearance of a candle burning in the wind, indicating that its protective capabilities had been greatly reduced.

It seems that Lotus and her gang have succeeded.

With a thought, Hua Qingxian's speed increased again, quickly catching up with the group of aircraft and even surpassing them, arriving in a large patch of white clouds ahead.

Not only Hua Qingxian, but also various forces on the ground that had been monitoring the flight situation in various ways discovered this.

"Yi Beidou's demonic flames have subsided? Was it intentional? But along the way, his demonic flames have never been subsided."

"It seems highly likely that the problem lies with him personally. Who intervened? How could they have gone this far? What methods did they use?"

"In this vicinity, the area closest to the Pioneer Group and the Primal Pulse, have either of them made a move? Is it the spiritual cultivators from the Pioneer Group, or those mysterious figures from the Primal Pulse?"

"."

Many people were whispering among themselves.

on the plane.

"Mr. Yi, are you alright?"

When Wang Han heard the alert coming from the communication channel, he realized something was wrong and called out to Yi Beidou several times, but Yi Beidou did not respond.

He was about to report to the command center when suddenly a cry of alarm came from the communications channel.

"careful!"

Wang Han suddenly turned around and looked ahead.

Suddenly, a giant golden hand emerged from the clouds ahead, like the hand of a god, reaching out towards him.

Reaching out from the clouds with a palm strike!
This scene left everyone momentarily stunned and speechless.

Keep in mind they're currently tens of thousands of meters in the air!

Whose palm strike could reach this point?
After a brief moment of shock, Wang Han reacted immediately, attempting to maneuver the fighter jet into a roll to dodge.

However, the giant hand, which was originally several kilometers away, moved at an unimaginable speed, almost as if it had teleported, and appeared directly in front of the plane, giving Wang Han no time to react.

The giant hand suddenly closed, gripping the entire plane.

Instantly, all the indicator lights on the fighter jet went out, the entire aircraft lost power, and the pilot, Wang Han, had already rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness.

Then, like a falling leaf, the entire plane spun and plummeted rapidly toward the ground.

"Wang Han! Please respond if you receive this message! Please respond if you receive this message!"

The other crew members around them shouted and called out, but there was no response.

"Shot down! The plane carrying Yi Beidou has been shot down!!"

"A palm strike from the clouds? The one who can do that is probably either the one from Yuanting or one of the Donghua disciples."

"The young man is indeed too arrogant. This time, it is very likely that more than two sleepers made a move. This time, he may not be able to escape his fate."

"."

Various factions began to discuss it, and the entire world's top leadership was shaken. The hearts of many high-ranking officials in Donghua were instantly on edge.

Meanwhile, in the illusion, Lotus looked at Yi Beidou in front of her, her smile growing even wider.

Hua Qingxian succeeded. As long as Yi Beidou remains engrossed in the demonic tribulation, capturing him alive afterward will be an easy task.

With this person in his hands, he had essentially grasped Hong Datong's Achilles' heel, and he was confident that he could force the other party to reveal himself and learn what he wanted to know.

However, at that moment, Lianhua's expression suddenly turned astonished, because he discovered that Yi Beidou, who had been looking dazed, had his eyes suddenly regain their clarity.

"Thank you so much for fixing the last flaw and helping me through the greatest tribulation."

Yi Beidou surprisingly spoke calmly.

"you"

Lotus's face showed an incredulous expression, and she couldn't help but take two steps back. How could she have gotten out of this demonic tribulation that could endanger her Dao heart so quickly?
"You're right. Perhaps I really have always been a pawn of my master. Perhaps I have never truly found freedom. But so what?"

"Humans living between heaven and earth are never truly free. Since we eat grains, how can we sever our ties to the world? Heaven and earth bind us, society binds us, there are subordinates, classes, and superiors among people. All things in the world, the vastness of the mortal realm, are subject to fate and destiny. Life is like a game of chess, like invisible shackles that trap us within them."

"Even if one breaks through to become an Earth Immortal and possesses an everlasting lifespan, one still cannot escape the fate of annihilation. One's flesh and blood are devoured and absorbed by others. What is true freedom? Humans are not omniscient and omnipotent gods, and true freedom does not exist. Freedom is a process of practical cultivation and verification. Breaking free from one shackle grants one level of freedom. This path has no end."

"So what if you're a pawn? It's not shameful. No one is born strong; everyone needs a bit of fate and opportunity. And the shackles that come with them are the price to pay. It's perfectly fair."

"Perhaps without my master, I wouldn't be where I am today, but I would never have fallen into the fate you predicted in the illusion. My mastery of the Free Mind Technique is not something bestowed by a deity, but rather the culmination of twenty years of perseverance and overcoming countless demonic tribulations. It is a testament to my cultivation that cannot be taken away by any reason, a true testament to my unwavering Dao heart. My current position is not something that anyone could manipulate or achieve through their own power!"

“I am very happy to know from you that what I did was able to help my master, because I no longer need to consider how to get rid of this karma. The karma has been repaid, the shackles are removed, and I am one step closer to freedom.”

“If one day I meet him again, I will weigh him with my own hands and see if the Great Dao he achieved through me is qualified to exist in this world.”

Yi Beidou's voice was calm, but it resonated like a great bell within the illusion, causing the entire illusion to tremble.

His figure seemed unchanged, yet it also seemed completely different from before.

Then, Yi Beidou's gaze shifted to Lianhua. At that moment, Lianhua couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, and she felt a very bad feeling.

He immediately prepared to withdraw from the illusion and sever his connection with Yi Beidou, but it was too late.

"The path of spiritual cultivation and the long river of humanity are things I have never encountered before. I am very interested in them. You have attacked me many times. This time, I will ask you for interest and borrow your power to explore the true meaning of this path!"

Yi Beidou's voice was loud, and suddenly demonic flames erupted in the illusion, the power of jade spread, and the tail of the flames transformed into thousands of threads, which suddenly wrapped around the lotus from all directions.

(End of this chapter)