Chapter 342: Persona [1]

Yu Xuan released his spirit sense in all directions, spreading it like an invisible tide as he tried to grasp the true layout of the area.What he sensed made his brows knit.

Too many presences.

And beneath it all, something wrong.

He focused first on the source of the darkness itself.

It was not ordinary concealment.

It carried a faint devouring quality.

In the brief moments since he had stepped into the area, Yu Xuan could already feel his spirit sense being eroded, swallowed by something intangible, as though the darkness itself was feeding upon it.

"This application is really something." he muttered.

At the same time, movement stirred ahead.

From within the strange fortress, demons began to emerge one after another, their auras were quite domineering.

Yu Xuan’s gaze sharpened.

At the center of them stood a familiar figure.

A small grey demon, barely thirty centimeters tall.

The same one that had escaped him before.

"So you were hiding here?" Yu Xuan said softly.

His black and white eyes flared as he traced the flow of power and immediately locked onto the true source.

In the small demon’s hands floated a cube shaped artifact, its surface shifting with layers of distorted light.

Darkness poured out from it in steady waves, bending perception and devouring spiritual probes.

Yu Xuan raised his hand.

The cube trembled, then ripped itself free from the demon’s grasp, flying straight toward him under the pull of his [Telekinesis].

But instead of panic, the small demon grinned.

A sharp, malicious grin.

The moment the artifact drew close.

BOOOOM!

The cube detonated in a violent burst of energy, shredding the last remnants of the concealment barrier.

The devouring darkness collapsed inward, and the hidden area was fully exposed to the world.

The shockwave rolled outward, tearing through the air.

"So I was right, hahaha!" the small demon laughed wildly, his voice sharp.

"You space control is really something."

Behind him, figures stepped forward one by one.

"Zu Min," a cold voice said, tinged with bloody intent.

"Even if this worked... was it truly necessary?"

The speaker was Yin Hong, a member of the Blood Clan. His aura carried the faint scent of fresh blood.

Originally, his clan’s role had been limited to anchoring resurrection methods for the dead, but after a direct order from the Elder Blood a reputable figure in his clan, even he had been forced to participate.

"To mobilize this much force, for a single human... it feels excessive." Yin Hong continued, his eyes narrowing at Yu Xuan.

"I agree," another voice chimed in calmly.

Demoness Ya, the Mind Demon, stepped forward, her emotionless eyes fixed on Yu Xuan.

"Zu Min, I don’t doubt your judgment. But this level of preparation is likely overkill."

Zu Min’s smile faded, replaced by something grim.

"You don’t understand," he said coldly.

"Only I’ve seen what happens when someone underestimates him."

His fingers tightened unconsciously.

"If not for that talisman I had, I would already be dead meat." Zu Min continued, voice lowering.

A ripple of silence passed through the group.

Then a new presence appeared.

"I would be disappointed if he died to something like this."

Mo Wen’s voice came from behind them as he stepped into view, his twin black horns catching the dim light.

"That disappointment is irrelevant," Wan Shou, the representatives of the Heavenly Demons said flatly, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"Our objective is not entertainment Mo Wen."

He turned his attention fully to Yu Xuan.

"The mission comes first."

A low chuckle followed.

"Let’s hope you’re right," Ba Xia said lazily, his lips curling as faint poisonous vapors leaked from his body.

"I just finished refining a new toxin. I was really hoping to test it."

Watched by eyes filled with caution, greed, curiosity, and killing intent.

Yu Xuan coughed hard and staggered backward.

His shoulders shook.

His steps faltered.

For a brief instant, several demons smiled as if predicting the outcome.

Then.

"Just kidding."

His voice came calmly from within the drifting smoke.

Yu Xuan stepped out.

His robes were immaculate – pure white, unwrinkled, untouched.

Not a single scorch mark marred the fabric, as though the explosion that could have just erased Tier Four souls from existence had never occurred.

The battlefield fell into a strange silence.

Even the more composed demons felt their expressions stiffen.

That explosion had not merely destroyed bodies, it had obliterated spirits and souls.

Something that even early Tier Four experts would struggle to endure.

Yet this human had walked through it.

Unharmed.

Unbothered.

"...Impossible," someone muttered.

Yu Xuan exhaled softly, his gaze sweeping across the fortress grounds.

’The numbers are too many.’

Even for him, this was no trivial situation.

Hundreds of Tier Four existences.

Each one carried strange bloodlines, forbidden techniques, racial inheritances, or sealed trump cards.

A prolonged fight, even if he won would drain time, effort, and invite variables he could not fully control.

And worse.

Injuries were not impossible.

Yu Xuan briefly felt the urge to say Awaken, to let shadows rise and answer his call.

But he dismissed the thought.

This was not the moment for that.

And, this was not the case with him.

Instead, he closed his eyes.

A thin cut appeared across his palm.

Golden-red blood welled forth.

One drop.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

Nearly twenty drops floated into the air, each one radiating terrifying vitality. If Yu Xuan had to describe it simply.

Each drop contained nearly a thousand times the energy he possessed back when he had been at peak Foundation Establishment.

Oppressive pressure rolled outward.

The demons expressions changed instantly.

"What... what the hell is that?" Wan Shou muttered, his pupils shrinking.

He could feel it clearly.

Those weren’t ordinary drops of blood.

Then.

Strange, archaic symbols ignited within each droplet.

And if Wan Shou wanted to put it in words, those symbols looked like Summoning Symbols.

The blood began to evaporate, as a small cloud filled with symbols and bloody mist formed.

One figure after another stepped out of the fading crimson-gold light.

The air trembled.

Space groaned.

And for the first time since this confrontation began.

The demons felt something new.

Not curiosity.

But unease.