Chapter 115: Divine Execution

An inner battle raged!

In the Meditation Chamber, Li Yi sat motionless, as still as an old monk in deep meditation.

Above his form, two phantoms flickered past each other. An Elemental Tide erupted, scattering sparks of light.

Both phantoms had the appearance of dragon-men, resembling ancient beasts. Dragon’s Aura poured forth, their momentum fierce and aggressive.

One was his true self. The other was his Inner Demon.

The true self frowned slightly.

He had thought his soul was refined and pure, so the Inner Demon should not be strong. Yet, he had not expected it to be almost as powerful as himself.

Could it be that, having lived two lives, miscellaneous thoughts had hidden deep within, unnoticed?

“Forget it. This is a good chance to purge them all at once!”

The cracking sounds of Snaps rang out simultaneously from both sides.

Their strategies were the same. As spiritual entities, mental attacks were naturally more effective.

“Come on, let’s hurt each other!”

The true self wore a proud expression. His Snap had been honed through repeated practice and several improvements, already reaching a respectable level, carrying a hint of an esoteric art’s flavor.

As he performed the Snap, psychic ripples shot from his fingertips! Among them were the roar of the Kui Bull, the bellow of a mighty lion, and the wail of a vengeful spirit. The three effects piled together. The power of the sonic boom gathered into a torrent, clamorous and deafening.

The Inner Demon on the other side was no slouch either.

Its Snap erupted, its soundwaves pitch-black, containing the deep, dark roar of a Black Dragon—fierce, violent, and unstoppable!

Boom!

The Snaps clashed. The black soundwaves turned out to be sharper. Shattering the psychic ripples, their force undiminished, they smashed fiercely against the true self.

The true self’s figure blurred, scattered, and then coalesced again.

“Huh?”

The true self uttered a sound of surprise, unwilling to accept this. He performed the Snap again.

Boom!

The Snaps collided once more. The dark soundwaves swept past him, and again, the true self came off worse.

However, this time, he glimpsed a clue.

“So that’s it! My Snap combines elements like ‘Psychic Blast,’ ‘Thunderclap Strike,’ ‘Divine Intent Lion’s Roar,’ and ‘Wailing Spirit,’ but it’s merely a simple accumulation. There’s no rhythmic resonance, so its power is limited… In contrast, the Inner Demon’s ‘Black Dragon Chants the Deep Ravine’ is pure and sharp, much more formidable!”

“This Inner Demon’s utilization of the Li Dragon Bloodline within the body is several times better than mine! Is it because the Inner Demon’s evil nature resonates more with the Black Dragon?”

Li Yi’s mind grew focused, thoughts flashing several times.

For him, fighting “himself” was also a means to temper his will and skills.

Who could be a more suitable opponent than “himself”?

“Divine Intent Lion’s Roar!”

Facing forward, the true self’s gaze was fiery. His lips parted slightly. A glimmer of golden light brewed in his throat, then erupted from between his lips!

The sonic power transformed into a lion of radiance. It shook its head, took a few leaping steps in mid-air, and dove down towards the Inner Demon.

The Inner Demon crossed its fingers. A Black Dragon materialized, coiling around the lion’s body.

However, though the Snap was powerful, compared to a secret art like “Divine Intent Lion’s Roar,” it was slightly lacking.

After a dragon-versus-lion struggle, the radiant giant lion shattered the Black Dragon and charged at the Inner Demon, biting down fiercely!

The Inner Demon grunted, its form also blurring.

“Wait, it seems the Inner Demon cannot use ‘Divine Intent Lion’s Roar’… Is it because of its evil nature? If so, then the Dragon Turtle bloodline within the body should also be incompatible with it.”

An idea stirred in the true self’s mind. With a sense of experimentation, he connected with the Dragon Turtle bloodline.

“Oh?”

A clear stream washed through his entire body. On the true self’s exterior, patterns resembling the shell of the Black Tortoise appeared. A majestic aura gradually settled, becoming solid.

“So that’s how it is!” The true self’s face showed understanding, his spirits greatly lifted. “I was wondering, since it’s an Inner Demon, why is it different from the true self? It seems this Inner Demon connected with the Li Dragon Bloodline and mutated, enabling it to fight me to a standstill! Now, with the aid of the Dragon Turtle bloodline, I can suppress it!”

Taking a step into empty air, the true self’s dragon-man body strode several steps through the Void, arriving in front of the Inner Demon. Without a word, he threw a punch!

“You seek death!” The Inner Demon roared in fury, also thrusting a heavy fist.

Boom!

The two figures constantly interwove, striking and kicking like martial artists, clashing head-on, blow for blow.

However, this was not a physical collision, but a clash of souls!

Every time their fists met, it was accompanied by Psychic Blasts, thunderous echoes in the Void, reverberating unceasingly.

The Defensive Array in the Meditation Chamber trembled precariously again. Magical light flickered like a candle in the wind, brightening and dimming.

The Black Dragon was sharp. The Dragon Turtle was sturdy. Each excelled in its own way, making it hard to determine a winner.

This confrontation gradually evolved into a battle of endurance.

…

Dawn arrived.

The thunderous sounds in the Void gradually faded.

“You’re finished!” The true self pointed at the Inner Demon from a distance, laughing heartily. “A mere Inner Demon still thinks it can defeat me, Li Yi?”

At this moment, the Inner Demon’s form flickered in and out, seemingly ready to dissipate at any moment.

Actually, the true self wasn’t in much better shape.

His body was dim and lustreless, a sign of spiritual exhaustion. Perhaps just one last push, and he would collapse too.

“Next time, it won’t be so easy…” The Inner Demon gave the true self a deep look, then its form crumbled, transforming into countless soul fragments.

The soul fragments seemed guided, flying straight towards him.

The true self opened his mind, accepting them all. His soul greatly invigorated, he sank back into his seated physical body.

Li Yi’s eyes snapped open.

His pupils were dim, yet extremely pure—like a newborn baby, like morning dew, without a trace of impurity.

His gaze was as calm as his mind, still as still water.

“Next time? There won’t be a next time!” Li Yi chuckled lazily. “Heh, when I break through to Practicing Mage, I’ll choose to suppress the Inner Demon, not execute it! Tsk tsk, I really don’t want to go through a fight like this again.”

The strength of the Inner Demon had far exceeded his expectations. He wasn’t too keen on taking such risks again.

Intense weariness washed over him heavily.

His spirit was drained. A splitting headache pounded.

Li Yi yawned, quickly closed his eyes, and concentrated his mind. A large, azure Great Soft-Shelled Turtle emerged above his head, suppressing everything around him.

Softshell Turtle Dream Art.

Executing the Inner Demon indeed had an immediate effect.

His heart felt neither joy nor sorrow. No distracting thoughts arose. He communed with heaven and earth, feeling free and natural.

His consciousness was clear. He faintly felt like he was transforming into a Great Soft-Shelled Turtle—this was the sign of a “Meditation Phenomenon.”

Perhaps the Softshell Turtle Dream Art was too profound. This feeling was elusive and not quite real, still some distance from a true vision.

But the efficiency of meditation had greatly increased.

Li Yi opened his eyes.

He was not fully restored in spirit, but he felt a bit impatient.

“Let me see, what’s different after slaying the Inner Demon?”

His fingers rotated, and an emerald water bullet condensed at his fingertips.

The water bullet burst, and three fire pearls swirled in his palm.

Next, a chain of electricity traveled between his fingers.

“Indeed, the mind follows the heart’s desire, and from the heart comes freedom!”

Li Yi licked his lips, his smile rising high.

Without distracting thoughts holding him back, it was easier to achieve the Unity of Heaven and Man. Spells formed freely, without even needing to use Magic Gestures.

Although Inner Demons would gradually regenerate over time, the process was very slow.

For a long while, Li Yi wouldn’t have to worry about being disturbed by Inner Demons.

…

After playing around for a while, Li Yi sat cross-legged and pondered.

“Snap!”

The Inner Demon’s Snap was even more exquisite than his own. He felt he could learn from it.

“Come!”

With a light chant, he pinched his fingers. A soft cry of the Black Dragon wavered, floated, and spread out.

“Hmm? Compared to the Inner Demon’s, it’s not just a little bit off…” Li Yi showed confusion, feeling puzzled.

“Try again?”

Crack!

After several attempts, he gradually figured out a bit of the trick, and the power slowly grew.

Its power was already not bad, but compared to the Inner Demon’s, it still fell short.

“It seems it’s a problem with the soul itself.”

Li Yi shook his head, having to admit defeat.

“But that Snap indeed has issues.” He stroked his slightly stubbled chin. “There are too many overlapping elements that aren’t fused; instead, they pull at each other, affecting the power. Especially the Divine Intent Lion’s Roar—the lion’s roar is righteous and open, clearly clashing with the other several sinister, dark auras. Perhaps it should be removed?”

“Let’s try…”

Muttering to himself, Li Yi began his attempts.

After a few tables and chairs in the room were damaged, Li Yi moved the battlefield outside.

Three days.

Li Yi stood straight, his expression focused, a sharp gleam shooting from his eyes.

Crack!

A Snap rang out, and a pitch-black ripple, carrying the roars of vicious beasts, rushed out through the air!

Crunch!

The ripple spread; several huge ancient trees had their hearts explode simultaneously, tilting and falling to the ground.

“Not bad, the power is already sufficient!”

Li Yi nodded.

This Snap was his new creation. After simplifying and removing the complexity, it was woven from the roar of the Kui Bull and the cry of the Black Dragon.

He named it the Divine Execution Finger Snap.

The name might be a bit grand, but he felt this spell still had room for improvement.

“Good, I’ll learn a few more spells to rely on.”