The only way to prod Lu Yun into continuously releasing his strength was through battle! Hence, neither Hebo nor Wahuang paid a visit to the conflict zone. There was only Lu Yun and his own power.

His boxing method of the five elements nurtured and countered each other, repeating in a continuous cycle to unleash enormous might.

In the beginning, Lu Yun was fully suppressed by the two demon gods and suffered great injuries because of it. Blood drenched his body and Huashe even ripped off one of his arms. It was only due to hellfire that the two demon gods didn’t dare close in for the kill.

However, his body of the world could absorb the energy of the land and thus restored his arm in short order.

As time went on, Lu Yun discovered that the great dao of the land was becoming more agreeable to his body. His blows were growing stronger, and it seemed that the trajectory of his every move and technique increasingly fit in more with this world.

The two demon gods that’d previously been firmly superior to the human noted these changes with growing horror.

“What’s going on?! He’s slowly getting stronger. If this continues, we won’t be his match for long!” Fuzhu and Huashe were frightened out of their wits.

The human boy was now firmly on their level and in fact, beginning to gain the upper hand! Minor changes were also somehow developing in their own strength, as if they were being weakened!

Indeed, as the heavenly dao changed, so would the connate demon gods born under the primitive great dao naturally be sapped of their strength.

Lu Yun had withdrawn hellfire by now and immersed himself in the vast heavenly dao. He breathed with the rhythm of all living beings, and for this moment, felt like he’d become one with the land.

“If there isn’t a part of this world in the flower, how can it exist upon this earth?” Lu Yun suddenly recalled what Hongjun had said to him before.

If there isn’t a part of this world in my body, then how would I exist upon this earth? The world is me, and I am the world.

Hummm.

Spontaneous enlightenment struck Lu Yun and his strength underwent a drastic change, reaching unfathomable heights. He suddenly struck out, grabbed Huashe’s neck, and twisted the snake’s head off.

Puff!

A simple palm strike rendered the snake’s corpse into ash.

“Mercy!!” An ashen Fuzhu hit the ground with both knees and pleaded for mercy.

All of heaven and earth fell silent, and the connate demon gods observing the battle were overawed. Two of their kind had gone hunting a human, but Huashe had been dusted into oblivion and Fuzhu was on his knees, begging for his life!

Lu Yun ignored Fuzhu and squeezed Huashe’s head, popping it like an orange so that a murky pearl fell into his hands.

“It’s the Pelagic Orb.” Lu Yun blinked. This would be Situ Zong’s most prized possession, a treasure that would eventually become his body. Situ Zong was one of his most valuable Infernum in the future.

“In that case…” A sudden thought occurred to him and he transferred the strength he’d used to kill Huashe into the pearl. He then flung the treasure into the northern reaches of the great wilderness with every iota of his strength.

“Sign a blood contract and become my steed. Otherwise, I’ll roast you and serve you to the human Yan Tribe. Choose.” Lu Yun looked coldly at Fuzhu.

The demon god’s blood ran cold. How could his august self become food for these insignificant ants? Though Fuxi protected the race, some of Fuzhu’s own subordinates raised humans as pigs for the slaughter. Though humans were latter-day descendants and quite ordinary, they were still related to the great god Pangu, so many demon gods vied to feast on humans.

How could he have ever imagined that a noble demon god such as he would have the tables turned on him?

But to become a human’s steed…

Fuzhu was equally unwilling. A demon god had never become the steed of others! Even Celestial Emperor Taiyi, after conquering the great wilderness with the Bell of Chaos, had only recruited the demon gods to his banner. He’d made them celestial kings and treated them with all due pomp and circumstance!

“So it seems you want to become food for humans instead.” Lu Yun hesitated no longer when he read Fuzhu’s expression and waved a hand at the demon god’s head.

“No, I’ll become your steed, don’t kill me!” Fuzhu shrieked when he saw that the human really intended to kill him!

Unfortunately for him, a move made was one that couldn’t be retracted. Lu Yun smashed Fuzhu’s head to pieces with one blow and refined ninety percent of the strength remaining in the corpse into his own body.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you, Hebo.” Lu Yun flung the corpse into the Yellow River.

As a connate demon god, Fuzhu’s body instantly ballooned ten thousand meters wide upon his death. Down in the river, the slack-jawed Hebo scrambled into action when he saw the body crash down on him and just barely managed to catch it in time before it smashed into the water.

“This is Fuzhu’s life sphere!” Seeing the life sphere whole and untouched within the corpse, Hebo quickly understood that this was a gift for him. “My thanks to you, Lie Shan!”

Delight overtook the river god. His strength would take another step forward with this life sphere! It was in that moment that Hebo discarded all of his other thoughts and wholeheartedly devoted himself to protecting the humans in the Yellow River basin.

He delivered Fuzhu’s body to the Yan Tribe, where it would fundamentally improve the tribe’s constitution and strength after they ate it. Shennong, Jiang Ti, and the pixiu would become celestial divines, while Ah Bao would reach peak divine king, placing her at the top of her realm. She would have to grasp her own great dao if she wanted to enter empyrean realm, as this wasn’t a cultivation level accessible via outside force.

……

After news that Lie Shan of the human race had hunted down Dusk Snake of the former celestial court, the great wilderness erupted in an uproar again after seeing him kill two connate demon gods in broad daylight.

His earlier feat was subject to skepticism since no one knew what had occurred in the cosmos, but he’d now used undeniable power to slay both Fuzhu and Huashe. No one could find any point of criticism anymore.

It would take a premier demon god to claim the Bell of Chaos since it didn’t seem anyone below that could beat Lie Shan. He even possessed the dreadful hellfire!

Lu Yun stood in midair, took stock of his surroundings, then shifted to Mount Buzhou.

……

“Yawnnn. You’re here again.” Ah Zhi muttered sleepily as she looked at the suddenly appeared Lu Yun. “You were just a tiny bean sprout last I saw you, but you’ve turned into a big lump in such a short period of time. Go on in, Wahuang’s been waiting for you.”

She flicked a glance at a faction inside the sacred land and said listlessly, “Gai, you can’t beat the big lump this time. Don’t create trouble for him now.”

Gai was the Dongyi man who’d blocked Lu Yun and Shennong’s way last time they visited the sacred land. He shuddered when he heard Ah Zhi’s words, dearly wishing for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

Create trouble for Lie Shan? He didn’t want to die yet.