Celestial Demons are born of desire, the very root of chaos. Yet this one now questioned the heavens, asking where the Great Dao lay.
This was the impossible made possible.
This heart, this intent, pointed straight to the heavens. Power surged from the ground up, rushing toward the clouds. It was not his strength alone, but also the power of the earth, a technique from the Cyan Wood Heart Intent that rooted him to the ground.
Not even the Tathagata Buddha's Five Finger Mountain could suppress a Celestial Demon who dared to question the heavens.
The two palms, one high and one low, pressed together with a muffled, thunderous clap. A visible ripple of air was squeezed out by the force, spreading outward. Not only that, but at the very instant of impact, the onlookers felt as if they saw a brief, dazzling flash of light bloom between their hands.
It was the result of power, wisdom, and Heart Intent intertwining.
BOOM!!
The ground beneath Yi Beidou's feet collapsed violently. A web of cracks spread more than ten meters out, but his body remained as straight and unmoving as a great, unshakable tree.
In contrast, Wei Cheng, who had manifested his towering and majestic Dharma Golden Body, found his form destabilized by the force of that palm strike. He actually took half a step back.
What?!
Seeing this, the watching Zhao Ping and Meng Qianyuan looked as if their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.
They knew better than anyone what kind of figure Wei Cheng was. He had broken into the realm of Body Ascension at least fifty or sixty years ago and had accumulated profound power. He had mastered the Thirty-two Buddha Forms and was one of Donghua's highest-level individual combatants. Twenty years ago, his name was famous at home and abroad; he was a pillar of the nation.
And yet Yi Beidou, though exceptionally talented, was not yet thirty. He had only just achieved Body Ascension, yet in a direct clash, he had managed to put Wei Cheng at a slight disadvantage?!
With that single strike, he was no longer a newcomer to Body Ascension but an undisputed, top-tier figure in Donghua.
"A fine move. 'Celestial Demon questions the heavens: where does the Great Dao lie?' A union of god and demon. You transformed the killing intent and Demon Body of a Celestial Demon into a sharp sword to question the Dao, finding possibility within the impossible. The application of Heart Intent in this technique can be called Mahayana! And you still say you don't know martial arts?"
Even Wei Cheng looked a little surprised.
The phenomenon of his Dharma Body slowly receded, and he returned to his previous state of an old farmer.
The two were only sparring, not fighting to the death. A single exchange was enough.
"I truly didn't know any martial arts before. But thanks to you, I integrated the Saint Truth I obtained from Feng Hua Chuan of the Cyan Wood Heart Intent and comprehended a move."
Yi Beidou said truthfully.
"The Synesthetic True Intent, Heart Illuminating Past and Present? You really are incredible. Feng Hua Chuan was a hero himself. He broke through the Saint Formation Barrier at thirty-five. It's a pity that in the battle of Tianmu Mountain, he fell at the hands of a Japanese Saint."
Wei Cheng said with a sigh.
"The Twelve Martial Saints of Japan, are they still in this world?"
Yi Beidou asked.
"Half of them are still alive. All are influential figures in Japan. After Japan's defeat back then, their military power was restricted, so Martial Arts Dao masters became their main support. Though it's a small island nation, its Martial Arts Dao is prosperous."
Wei Cheng said.
"That's excellent. I owe Feng Hua Chuan a karmic debt. One day, I will deliver the head of a Japanese Saint to his sect to repay the favor."
Yi Beidou spoke calmly, making Zhao Ping's scalp tingle with fear.
'If it really comes to that, diplomatic relations between our two countries will probably deteriorate. Having to deal with this guy… my future as the Director of the Special Security Bureau Headquarters is not going to be easy.'
"Alright, the sparring is over. Let's discuss other business. Since you are a Saint who has achieved Body Ascension and you intend to travel the world seeking martial arts, it won't do for you to lack a proper status. How about this: you can take the position of a special consultant for the Special Security Bureau. It will make things more convenient for you in the future. What do you think?"
Wei Cheng asked Yi Beidou.
"Are there any worldly duties involved?"
Yi Beidou said.
"It's just a nominal position. There are benefits but no duties, and you won't be under their command. If a matter arises that requires your help, I will communicate with you personally. There is just one request: when you visit the various sects, could you please send a formal notice first? If they don't accept, you can then act as you see fit."
Wei Cheng said.
"In that case, I see no reason to refuse."
Yi Beidou pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Wei Cheng had shown sufficient sincerity, and this was a result Yi Beidou could be satisfied with.
"Good. That settles that. There is one more thing…"
Wei Cheng said, then glanced at Zhao Ping and the others. Taking the hint, Zhao Ping immediately led everyone out of the cemetery, retreating more than two hundred meters away.
"What do you know about the Pioneer Group?"
Only after everyone had withdrawn did Wei Cheng ask Yi Beidou in a low voice.
Hearing the name Pioneer Group, Yi Beidou's eyes narrowed slightly. This was one of the main reasons he had chosen to cooperate with the Special Security Bureau.
"To be honest, my knowledge of the Pioneer Group is limited to its name."
Yi Beidou said truthfully.
"Your master, Wandering Immortal Hong Datong, didn't tell you any of the secrets related to them?"
Wei Cheng asked, somewhat surprised.
"No. In fact, I don't know much about my master at all. It seems you know him well? Could you tell me about him?"
Yi Beidou asked.
"He didn't? I think I understand. It seems he wanted you to experience things for yourself and didn't want to influence your path, so he told you nothing. In that case, I shouldn't overstep my bounds. As for your master, I can only tell you this: he is not a person of this current age."
Wei Cheng said, pondering.
"Not a person of this current age? Does that mean he's from another world?"
Yi Beidou said with a frown.
"What other world? It's not that fantastical. He is a person of the past."
Wei Cheng shook his head and chuckled.
"A person of the past?"
Hearing this, Yi Beidou's heart stirred. He suddenly recalled the last words Hong Datong had left for him.
A great dream of a thousand autumns is ultimately empty; a life complete in body and spirit lasts but a single lifetime.
'It seems this world is far less simple than I imagined.'
"Alright, back to the Pioneer Group. This organization is extremely powerful. It only rose to prominence in the last fifty years. They've won over many financial oligarchs and political leaders, and they've allied with many masters of Body Ascension from around the world. Their influence is quite terrifying."
"They possess the world's most advanced life sciences and body modification technologies, and they have amassed a vast amount of data related to Body Ascension. In the early years, they even hunted masters of Body Ascension around the world to collect their physical data and genetic sequences. This later caused major turmoil, and they only stopped and gradually moved underground under the threat of strategic weapons."
Wei Cheng revealed a shocking secret in a low voice.
"Something like that happened?"
Yi Beidou frowned slightly.
Body Ascension, which in ancient times meant becoming an Arhat Human Immortal, yet in this modern era, an organization actually dared to hunt Immortals?
'Indeed, the present age is no longer the age of the past.'
"This organization calls itself the pioneer of human evolution, but it conducts all sorts of taboo experiments that violate human ethics. Most of the missing persons cases around the world, as well as the human trafficking on the dark web, are inextricably linked to them. In recent years, their 'God Creation Plan' has already achieved some success. Using technological means, they have cultivated Super Warriors who have achieved Body Ascension."
Wei Cheng continued.
"What?"
Even Yi Beidou couldn't help but be shocked by this.
"They only induce genetic mutations through life sciences and body modification. The results have the shell of Body Ascension but lack its True Intent. The success rate is currently very low. But even so, if the technology matures and they can be mass-produced, a group of Super Warriors working together could very well pose a threat to you and me."
Wei Cheng's tone became grave.
"That is a heretical path. The key to Body Ascension is not the body, but the will and the True Intent. Without the corresponding realm of insight, how can one control the body of a Saint? Such beings will inevitably become demonic scourges upon the world."
Hearing this, Yi Beidou's gaze turned sharp.
After Body Ascension, the body undergoes a qualitative change, and hormone levels far exceed those of an ordinary person. If a weak soul resides within such a body, the result would be the same as his own situation before he mastered the Freedom Technique.
Their will would be overwhelmed by their body, turning them violent, savage, paranoid, and terrifying.
They would not be Saints, but devils.