Child of Destiny

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Desires – these were the only drawbacks that the Demonic Practitioners were facing. It was also their weakness in a sense since suppressing these desires required much stronger willpower and perseverance.

Desire for destruction, desire to become stronger, desire to consume others, desire for revenge, and many others. These were the desires that usually the demonic practitioners faced whenever they were training their respective methods. They were commonly called the inner demons for some people, who were trying to consume an individual.

Once consumed, the said individual would turn into a mindless monster that knew nothing but to follow its desire, their instincts. But if they managed to overcome these inner demons, then they would become enlightened and reach a height that never seen before.

Some people chose to embrace their inner demons while others were so strong that they could crush any kind of demons in their hearts. These individuals became so strong that they stood at the peak of everything.

These individuals were called 'Demons' in the modern era.

The Demonic Cultivation was one of the oldest paths of the current era along with the Martial Sects and Buddhist Temples.

They were not welcomed at first due to the history that they had. But as time went by, and these Demons showed that they could suppress their desires and could live without causing any immoral acts, the people became more open-minded and welcomed them, especially when a certain war required everyone to unify and work together.

Naturally, there were still some people, who were unable to fight back their desires. They continued to follow a path that only followed their desires and committed sins and immoral acts.

These people were branded as Evil Practitioners, a group of people who were completely different from the Demonic Practitioners.

However, due to their similarities in their practices, most people confused the two and put them together. This was the reason why some of the earlier and strongest Demonic Practitioners set up some rules. They had to follow it, and if anyone broke any of these rules, they would be branded as Evil Practitioners and would be executed on the spot.

At the same time, there were some unspoken rules that the 'Demons' had tacitly agreed upon.

They were forbidden to consume other Demons, or more likely the desire of the others. It was because once it happened, a disaster would happen, especially if one of the sides were not strong enough to suppress the new desire after consuming the others.

Due to this, the strong Demons usually avoid contact with each other, especially when their instincts, particularly their 'hunger' and desire to 'consume' the others, take over whenever they mean one another.

Both Old Ryong and Jan Mateo were strong enough to suppress their desires and control their emotions. However, due to the respective goals that the two had, they could not avoid facing each other.

Old Ryong felt something odd from the Demonic Practitioner in front of him. He called it the 'scent' of the Evil. It was something that he could sense from the others once they deviated from the path of Demonic Practitioners and slowly walked toward the path of evil.

From his perspective, Jan Mateo was a Demonic Practitioner, who was a sliver away from being an Evil Practitioner. Even though the latter was able to suppress his desires quite well, Old Ryong could not risk letting this person on loose when he finally found a suitable disciple to train.

He did not want any trouble around Shin, especially when he was aware of the secrets hidden within the young man's body. From what he could tell, this person in front of him could be a serious threat to Shin once he discovered the 'seeds' in the heart of his disciple.

On the other hand, Jan Mateo did not want to give up at this moment since the person in the reports that he had received would help him reach the pinnacle of his path. Once he consumed this specific nutrient, a new path would open itself and lead to the throne that he deeply desired.

He could not retreat right now, especially when he was already close to reaching his goal.

If this old man tried to stop him, then he would dispose of him and even consume their demon, making it his own. He was not like the old-timers in the Demonic Cult or a Demonic Practitioner, who followed those old rules.

If he had to become an Evil Practitioner to reach his goal, he would be more willing to embrace it just like how he accepted his inner demon with open arms.

"You are now asking for it, old man," said Jan Mateo as his eyes started to glow with a purple light.

Seeing that Old Ryong, who was still maintaining his stabbing posture with his sword, smirked as his eyes also glowed with a similar light.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

At the same time, there seemed to be a dome that suddenly enveloped the place within hundreds of meters around the two.

Everything within this dome seemed to be no different from what the place was, but it was an alternative reality that was created through the powers of these two demons. They simultaneously released their respective domains to isolate this place from the real world and prevent others from sensing their battle for a short period that they would be fighting each other.

The world seemed to become too dark within that invisible dome despite the sun hanging high up in the sky outside it, yet the two demonic practitioners did not mind as their eyes were more than capable of seeing through the dark.

Within the dome, Old Ryong and Jan Mateo were standing in the air opposite to each other. Their Demonic Qi were currently covering their bodies as they hovered and stared at each other.

"I don't remember seeing an old demon like you listed in the record. I wonder where an old fossil like you comes from," said Jan Mateo as he observed the old man.

Old Ryong squinted his eyes as he did the same. He was in seclusion for a very long time, so he was not aware of the events that happened during his disappearance. He rarely appeared in the time of his presence either since he only joined the war in the Dark Continent and stayed there.

What happened after his retirement was none of his concern, which was why he was unaware of the recent events that were currently shaking the world.

But one thing was for sure. This Demonic Practitioner in front of him was one of the main actors or a major player of the current time.

"Where do you belong, brat? The New Demonic Cult? The Dark Hall? Or are you just a lone wolf?" said Old Ryong as he infused his sword with his powers.

"Don't put me on the same level as those trash. I am superior to everyone," said Jan Mateo sneeringly.

"So, you are one of those types," commented the old man as his tone grew more solemn. "Then it is more than a reason that I can't let you stay here."

"Your scent is too bad that I can't even puke," he added as he stroked his sword in the air in a casual manner.

It might look ordinary from the others of the other people, but Jan Mateo, who was on the receiving end of that stroke, felt and saw something completely different.

The movements of the old man were so slow that it could not even call an attack, but when Jan Mateo saw those movements, he knew that it was already too late to move or dodge.

A very thin line was drawn in the air as if something cut the air and the space in a horizontal line. This line was so thin that even a thread or a string was more noticeable than it was in a distance.

The shadow wrapped themselves around Jan Mateo as the unseen attack reached him. He felt a sharp thing cutting through his shadow powers as the thin line reached him. If not for the shadows protecting his body, then he could already see himself being cut in halves.

But that was only the start as Old Ryong started swinging the sword multiple times, turning his arm into a blur. It also created a series of flashes that drew several intertwining lines in the air.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The shining lines seemed to have created a net in the air, surrounding Jan Mateo from all directions. There was no path of retreat that he could use.

Jan Mateo expanded his senses as he glanced over the attacks that were coming his way. There was no arrogance present in his eyes as he could already tell that this old man in front of him was at least on par with the old monsters that he was wary of.

If he was not mistaken, this old man was of the same generation as the council elders within the Soaring Continent. Even though he had yet to figure out the real identity of Old Ryong, he could already take this battle a little seriously.

He then slowly raised his hand and pointed his palm forward, seemingly commanding something.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Then, suddenly, the air moved according to his will along with the appearance of Mental Energy which had a deep grey color. It formed a spherical barrier that protected Jan Mateo from the sword flashes that were coming at him from different angles.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Metallic sounds could be heard as those flashes clashed against the transparent barrier.

At the same time, Old Ryong also saw the purple Demonic Qi shrouding his opponent before forming a huge spear that pointed toward his direction.

Jan Mateo pointed at the old man, commanding the purple spear.

Swoosh!

The spear flew straight to Old Ryong in a moment that seemed to be able to drag everything in its path. It had a crushing force that resembled a meteor as a series of shockwaves erupted as it traveled through the air.

Old Ryong stared at the incoming spear for a moment, seemingly observing it, before suddenly swinging his swords upwards.

Shing!

The simple swing seemed to have separated heaven as it an illusion of the sky being split apart could be seen within the alternate reality of the invisible dome.

Along with it, the purple spear that was made from the dense Demonic Qi was split into multiple fragments before dissipating in the air.

Old Ryong did not immediately attack after it. Instead, he stared at his opponent as he remembered something. "Now, I can remember."

"There is this young demon when I am still active on the battlefield. He is so greedy that he wants to become the strongest among everyone else and even crazy enough to accept his inner demon in pursuit of power."

"He then evolved into an entirely new being that can wield both Martial Arts and Mentalism, combining them to create that legendary form of energy."

He then squinted his eyes and got a closer look at Jan Mateo while continuing. "Although I can see that you still have yet to fully achieve it, I must say that I don't expect you to grow like this."

"But this also has given me more reason to chase you away. I can't let a Demon of your level roam on this land, especially at a time like this. You are too dangerous to stay close to 'it'," he added as he got ready to unleash his true power.

Boom!

Right after he released his true powers, even the invisible dome seemed to tremble as it was showing some signs of being unable to withstand his aura.

Behind him, there was a giant appearance of an Asura that had a thousand arms with different kinds of weapons in its hands. It was towering over everything, standing at a height that surpassed even the clouds.

Unlike the other Domain Realm Experts, Old Ryong did not develop his domain. Instead, he chose to pour everything he had into nurturing his Battle Spirit and made it comparable to the Domains of the old monsters of the same generation, if not stronger.

It was also at that moment when Jan Mateo realized which old expert of the past he was currently facing. "No wonder I don't know anything about you. It turns out that I am facing an old ghost of the past."

"Now, should I say that this is worth all the trouble? I wonder if you can also be my nourishment before facing that man again."

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