Chapter 296: Chapter 232: A Glimpse of Penglai, Rebellion’s Perfect Pinnacle

Cheng Zhihong’s eyes widened. He stared at the explosion, which resembled a small mushroom cloud, and at the figure sent flying out from within the smoke.

That was... Yi Beidou!!

Cheng Zhihong’s jaw dropped.

He could see that Yi Beidou’s power had been climbing at an unbelievable rate, as if without limit. In that last instant, the aura he had unleashed had even suppressed the Alchemist’s.

But after that one strike, the one sent flying was still Yi Beidou?!

HRAAAGH!!

A furious roar echoed from within the smoke. The sound wave and airflow erupted, instantly clearing the dust and revealing the state of the battlefield.

Amidst a field of cracks, the Alchemist stood at the epicenter of the destruction. He was spattered with blood, and his entire right arm hung limply at his side. The skin was torn open, revealing mangled tissue beneath. It was a gruesome, horrifying sight.

Even his current physical body could barely withstand the blow he had just delivered using the "Heaven-Stealing Furnace." Under normal circumstances, his entire arm would have been crippled.

But now, he was within the Penglai Immortal Mountain, empowered by the Penglai Technique!

POP! POP! POP!!

To the naked eye, the muscles on his arm could be seen regenerating. In the span of just two breaths, the horrifyingly bloody wound had already healed completely.

His body gave a sudden shake, sloughing off all the bloodstains clinging to his skin. Aside from his tattered clothes, his body appeared completely unharmed.

"Within Penglai Mountain, I am supreme! Everything you do is in vain!"

The Alchemist’s voice was like a clap of thunder, booming out.

The moment Yi Beidou entered the Penglai Immortal Mountain, the outcome was already decided!

Cheng Zhihong’s heart trembled as he looked in Yi Beidou’s direction.

Yi Beidou had crashed against a giant tree. He was covered in blood. Although the injury to his arm didn’t look as grotesque as the Alchemist’s had, its muscles were twisted and mangled, indicating severe trauma.

In this condition, that arm was practically useless for combat.

’It’s over.’

Seeing this, Cheng Zhihong felt a profound sense of dejection, yet also a feeling of inevitability. A bitter smile crept onto his face.

"You’re out of chances! With one arm crippled, even using a Forbidden Secret Technique would be pointless!"

The Alchemist strode toward Yi Beidou step by step. Although his opponent seemed to have reached his limit, he didn’t dare to be the least bit careless.

This young man had given him too many surprises. Even while empowered by the Penglai Technique and Five Thieves Stealing Life, Yi Beidou still had the strength to fight back, forcing him to use the "Heaven-Stealing Furnace."

One had to understand that channeling Five Thieves Stealing Life into the Heaven-Stealing Furnace damaged his very life essence. Each use drastically reduced his lifespan in this lifetime—a type of damage that not even the Penglai Technique could easily repair.

’To think a modern-day Red Dust Immortal could reach such a level.’

「On the other side.」

Yi Beidou felt a fire raging inside him. His entire right arm throbbed with a piercing pain, as if thousands of needles were stabbing it.

Not since he had perfected his Demon Body—in fact, never in this life—had he suffered such a severe injury.

’Three Tribulation Stars in possession, Celestial Demon Dissolution at the Eighth Layer of Reverse Chaos, and I was still knocked back in one blow.’

He had truly underestimated the years of preparation these Ancient Ones had made, and the terrifying power they could unleash within their own lairs—their Secret Realms. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

If this were the outside world, he would have long since lost the ability to fight. But the situation now was different.

"Hahahahaha!!"

Yi Beidou suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his voice shaking the forest. It was filled with a wild, mocking tone that seemed quite at odds with his usual personality.

Under the influence of the three Tribulation Stars, his personality had inevitably been affected.

"You are supreme within Penglai Mountain? How ridiculous! You haven’t even fully mastered this Immortal Mountain. You’re merely borrowing its power, yet you dare call yourself supreme?!"

"The Penglai Power is right here in this Immortal Mountain. If you can borrow it, what makes you think I can’t?"

Yi Beidou was grievously injured, yet he seemed not to feel it at all. His words, however, made the Alchemist’s eyes narrow.

’This guy...’

FWOOSH!!

The next moment, the Blood-Colored Demon Flame on Yi Beidou’s body flared violently. Tendril-like threads suddenly shot out from it, seeming to pierce into the surrounding Void.

GURGLE! GURGLE!!

These Demon Flame tendrils writhed and pulsed as if they were truly alive, seemingly siphoning something from the Void.

’What is this?!’

At this moment, the Alchemist could no longer maintain his composure.

In his state of using the Penglai Technique, he was intimately connected to the Penglai Immortal Mountain’s energy field. He could now clearly feel another presence rapidly siphoning the healing power emanating from the Immortal Mountain.

Without a doubt, the source of that presence was Yi Beidou!

Yi Beidou was right. The Alchemist was merely a cuckoo in the nest; he was by no means the true master of this Immortal Mountain. The Penglai Technique he used was just a method of borrowing the Penglai Power; it didn’t allow him to fully merge with the Immortal Mountain’s Power and command it at will.

Under these circumstances, if he could borrow this power, then others with similar methods could naturally do the same.

And what’s more, he could hardly stop it.

It was just that, having operated on the Penglai Immortal Mountain for many years, he was able to borrow its power more deeply.

It was like a great mountain: you can come to hunt, and so can I. The only difference is that you’re more familiar with the trails and might have an easier time catching prey.