Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 171 - 165: The Demon Within

"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, either. To be honest, I'm with the Military Department. I'm only here because the Secret Inspection Bureau invited me to help."

"But something is definitely off about this situation. It's not as simple as the files suggest. I suspect the Celestial Demons are pulling the strings, secretly orchestrating the appearance of this Relic and everything else."

"The loosening of the Sealing Realm Image in Beiwei was strange in itself. It's most likely connected to the Celestial Demons."

Lei Yi said in a low voice.

"Are the Celestial Demons that powerful?"

Zhou Yuanjue frowned. "I've read some of the data. The Celestial Organization is the largest clandestine organization in the world, with countless members and businesses. But since they're officially wanted by every country, no one knows how much power they've actually hidden."

"Of course. Never underestimate those guys. Celestial Demon possession is extremely difficult to detect. Many of these Celestial Demons have been around for far longer than we can imagine. There's no telling how much influence they have across the globe."

"And most importantly, we have no idea how many human collaborators they have."

Lei Yi said, shaking his head.

"Human collaborators?"

Zhou Yuanjue's eyes narrowed. In his mind, Celestial Demons had always been humanity's natural enemy.

"Heh. Are there any eternal enemies in this world? For nations, for certain people in high society, the only thing that matters is eternal self-interest."

"You've probably heard about the Ya'an Empire, haven't you? During its final years, bogged down in the quagmire of war, the Ya'an Empire stopped at nothing to find a way to defeat its enemies. It conducted numerous gruesome, secret experiments. The Super Warrior experiments, in particular, had Celestial Demon People involved behind the scenes. The Ya'an Empire was the first nation to form a cooperative relationship with them."

"Before the Ya'an Empire, the Celestial Demons' power had been suppressed for many years, leaving them extremely weak. But because of that great chaos, they leveraged the power of the Ya'an Empire and its Super Warrior program. Multiple Sealing Realm Images around the world were discovered and broken, one after another. The Spirit Guardians suffered immense losses against modern armies and firearms, ultimately allowing the power of the Celestial Demon People to gradually resurface."

"After the Ya'an Empire fell, the victorious nations seized its experimental data. The Starry Sky Country was the biggest beneficiary. On the surface, they claim to be cracking down on the Celestial Demons, but in secret, who knows if these nations still maintain contact with them? It's rumored that the Super Warriors originating from the Starry Sky Country have a significant connection to the Celestial Demon People."

"The Celestial Demons' power and their life-related technologies are far beyond humanity's. To some members of the human elite, this holds a fatal attraction. It can give them healthy bodies and long lives, allowing them to enjoy everything that was previously beyond their reach."

"In the eyes of certain people, things like allegiances are irrelevant. If they can gain enough, get what they truly want, what does it matter if they stop being human? What does it matter if they eat people? It's not like they haven't devoured plenty of people already. In a way, they and ordinary people are already two different species."

Lei Yi said with a sneer.

Zhou Yuanjue fell silent for a moment. He knew the secrets Lei Yi spoke of were all too real.

'The Celestial Demons' long lives, powerful physiques, healthy bodies... it's what countless people dream of. And as for eating people? Becoming an enemy of humankind? For people like that, it's nothing to lose sleep over.'

'Some people may still inhabit a human shell, but in their hearts, they can no longer be called human.'

'In fact, they never even considered themselves ordinary humans in the first place.'

"Is it the same in Donghua?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked.

"Wherever there are people, there is desire. And wherever there is desire, there are people who no longer want to be human—they want to be gods."

"Think about what happened on Haisa Island. Two General Level individuals. Do you really think it's that easy to enter the country?"

Lei Yi said, shaking his head.

Zhou Yuanjue understood what he meant. He thought back to Daoist Bailong. He'd had to place an Array in his small courtyard just to conceal his presence. When people were sent to pick Zhou Yuanjue up, they had referred to Daoist Bailong as "the masters" in the plural, even though he was the only one there. And when they left the base, they had to evade everyone else's notice. It all painted a very clear picture.

'Daoist Bailong probably suspected that there were compromised individuals even within the Secret Inspection Bureau.'

"Dharma Artifacts and other equipment might be able to detect the presence of Celestial Demons, but they can't measure the demons hidden in the human heart. That's why the Spirit Guardians, who follow their ancestral teachings, are so resistant to working with the higher-ups. They'd rather hide among the common folk than wade into these murky waters."

Lei Yi said.

"And the Spirit Guardians? They can't be tempted by the Celestial Demons?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked.

"Those who possess the inherited Bloodline are inherently opposed to Celestial Demons. They could never be on the same side. They are born enemies."

Lei Yi explained. Zhou Yuanjue understood.

Lei Yi's words put him on high alert.

'Their enemy wasn't just the Celestial Demons, but humanity itself.'

'And wasn't stirring up human desire what the Celestial Demons did best?'

'The Elixir of Immortality was the very embodiment of that desire.'

'If there were people who fantasized about not being human before, the Elixir of Immortality could make that fantasy a reality.'

'So, the leak about this Relic must have been the work of the Celestial Demon People. After all, they stood to gain the most from news of the Elixir of Immortality getting out.'

'This time, they weren't just here to break a physical Seal. They wanted this so-called "Elixir of Immortality" to break the seals on certain people's hearts.'

'It was easy to imagine the firestorm that would sweep the globe once word of the Elixir of Immortality got out.'

'Perhaps that was the Celestial Demons' true goal.'

"I'm telling you all this so you're prepared. The waters here are far from clear. But then again, where in the world are they ever crystal clear? No matter how dark the sky gets, there will always be someone standing guard over the light. All we need to do is walk our own path."

Lei Yi saw Zhou Yuanjue's somber expression and said to him with a smile.

"I'm well aware of that."

The figures of Zhang Ling Heng, Tang Chen, Jiang Jiushan, and many other unwavering Martial Artists flashed through Zhou Yuanjue's mind, along with the image of his own will.

'Why can't humanity transcend these demons and monsters?'

"Also, you can at least trust the high-level Saint Awakening members in the Secret Inspection Bureau. After all, you've got that old geezer Daoist Bailong. He's a Spirit Guardian, a Descendant of Xi. Nobody knows what secrets he's hiding. With him around, the top brass of the Bureau won't have any major problems. The middle and lower ranks, though... that's another story. Just be careful."

Lei Yi said to Zhou Yuanjue, who nodded slightly.

"Oh, right. Why aren't Elder White Dragon Divides Water and Tu Junshan out yet?"

At this, Lei Yi couldn't help but frown. He and Zhou Yuanjue had been talking for some time now, and the magnetic field of the Sealing Realm Image had already returned to its original strength. Still, there was no sign of Daoist Bailong or Tu Junshan.

'Are they trapped? Or did something else happen?'