10: Fight against the innate

Days passed, and a new year arrived.

The world outside the prison gate was exceptionally lively.

Officials received holidays, children got new clothes, and old men awaited their returning sons.

Meng Yun merely gnawed silently on the blood-red meat.

He felt that at this point, he should actively seek death; continuing to wither like this would surely affect his simulation evaluation.

Aside from succumbing to that voice and becoming a demon, he couldn't think of any way to break free.

But he couldn't let go.

It was just a simulation, at worst, he could start over, so what?

He convinced himself thousands of times, but in the depths of his being, a persistent thought told him that there was still something waiting for him to complete.

There was definitely something, something only he, Meng Yun, could complete.

Definitely.

Movement came from outside the prison door, but Meng Yun didn't even lift his eyelids.

A jailer came with a basin of fresh meat: "Fresh venison, Happy New Year, Meng Yun."

"Thanks," Meng Yun said, uncharacteristically.

The jailer didn't mind, sitting down by himself across the iron bars. "Once, you were the faith of us common folk."

"Sorry."

"Sigh. We don't understand the affairs of great people, but we won't shortchange you on good food and drink."

"Thank you."

"Meng Yun, what does it feel like to climb to the clouds and then fall down?"

"I am very comfortable here."

The jailer shook his head, sighed, and left.

"Meng Yun, even a petty official looks down on you, why not pledge allegiance to me!"

"Get lost."

"Meng Yun! Do you really think there's no one else in the world? Don't be so naive!"

"Scram."

"Good, you've got guts! I'll be merciful and tell you a secret! Why do you think they supply you with unlimited flesh and blood?"

That demonic voice echoed in Meng Yun's ears, and for the first time, his face, covered in scales and whiskers, showed emotional fluctuation:

"That Wu Yinyao, at the cost of marrying the Lord Warden, exchanged for the child emperor's lifelong sustenance for you!"

"Meng Yun, ah, Meng Yun, why don't you guess again, what day is their wedding?"

Meng Yun was silent, but his thoughts had been overheard.

March 3rd.

You have been tempted by the Demon Seed; your heart has wavered. It believes you will seek power from it.

"Scram, get out!!!"

"Hehehehe, hahahahahaha…" The demonic voice was incredibly pleased, because it finally felt that Meng Yun had broken.

Heroes fall for beauties, why didn't you say so earlier!

For the next month, you began to study Qimen Dunjia, attempting to gain new power from it. You failed.

Your demonic body, cultivated by blood food, has reached After Heaven Peak, even without practicing any demonic arts.

The Demon Seed's confident mindset began to waver.

Another month passed, and you continued to study Qimen Dunjia, attempting to gain new power from it. You failed.

You ate frantically, often making various demands for blood food from the jailers. The Lord Warden felt helpless, viewing you as a gluttonous beast, but still satisfied you. You broke through to After Heaven Peak.

The prison bars could no longer hold you, but you pretended nothing happened. The strength of After Heaven Peak was not enough.

The Demon Seed doubted its existence, no longer holding expectations for you, and began to prepare a backup plan.

Meng Yun withdrew from his deep meditative state; his rationality was severely lacking, making his deductions in Qimen Dunjia impossible to progress.

He suddenly looked up, startled to realize that the red threads binding heaven and earth were tightening and thickening.

"What do you want to do?" Meng Yun asked directly in his mind.

"Circulate the Blood Demon Divine Art, and I'll tell you." The demonic voice had already turned cold, no longer as eager as before.

Clearly, it no longer regarded Meng Yun as a potential partner.

Or rather, before things got worse, it had to completely obliterate Meng Yun.

Just by devouring blood food, he could raise his demonic body's strength to After Heaven Peak; given time, wouldn't he step into the Innate Realm?

There was already Luo Mian, an uncontrolled Innate, who had appeared.

How could it allow such a situation to happen again!

March 3rd…

It's a good day, everything goes!

Jie jie jie, jie jie jie!

Your unease grew more severe, and you began to deduce Qimen Dunjia day and night.

After repeatedly performing divinations, you fell ill.

After repeatedly performing peeks into Heavenly Secrets, your lifespan was shortened.

After repeatedly performing concealments of Heavenly Secrets, you fainted.

Three days later, you woke up; the time had already arrived at March 2nd.

Your 'Peerless Wisdom' and 'Qimen Dunjia' entries merged into a new entry: Calculating Heaven and Deducing Earth. By communicating with the red threads through your demonic body, you can cleverly borrow the Demon Seed's red threads to inversely gain part of its authority, thereby stepping into the Innate Realm.

Repeated deductions have exhausted your body; forcefully breaking through to the Innate Realm will cause your physical body to gradually collapse, eventually leaving no bones behind.

You began your last meal, then fell into a deep sleep, recuperating your strength.

The Demon Seed's voice had not appeared for a long time; your intuition told you it was secretly plotting something monumental.

March 3rd, early morning.

Meng Yun opened his eyes.

He gripped the profound iron bars with one hand, applying gentle force; his After Heaven Peak strength easily separated the bars.

Meng Yun stepped out.

Jailers rushed over, standing with their swords, but none dared to approach.

Iron bars that could confine an After Heaven Peak expert couldn't stop Meng Yun; what did that imply!

It was already self-evident.

Meng Yun had no intention of making things difficult for them. He glanced at one of the jailers and chuckled softly:

"After today, Meng Yun will still be your faith."

With one step, his body was already outside the imperial prison.

The jailers exchanged glances: "Meng… where is he going?"

"To the chief, to the chief's place, I guess…"

Literary and martial arts, reaching the pinnacle.

White Cloud Virtuous Minister, White Cloud War God.

Meng Yun looked up at the sky, his unease intensifying to the extreme. At a certain moment, he felt something, stretched out a finger, and gently hooked a red thread visible only to him.

His action pulled back the Demon Seed's illusionary curtain, revealing tens of thousands of birds and beasts, covering the sky and earth, charging towards the capital!

Meng Yun finally knew where his unease came from.

The Demon Seed had chosen March 3rd to annihilate the capital and seize blood food!

It wanted to ascend to Earth Immortal!

Under the blessing of Calculating Heaven and Deducing Earth, he understood everything.

Originally, in the Demon Seed's plan, Martial Universe Qiankun was its butcher's knife; in the rebellion, millions would fall, blood would flow like rivers, and the essence blood food would be enough to support its ascension.

But due to the variable of Meng Yun's appearance, Martial Universe Qiankun was stabbed to death by Luo Mian before he could achieve much.

Thus, the Demon Seed, lacking blood food to ascend to Earth Immortal, turned its gaze to Meng Yun, who possessed even greater talent.

But Meng Yun, relying on his will, overcame its temptation and successfully made it feel a sense of crisis!

Thus, it could only hastily infect beasts to become demons, attempting to overthrow the capital with an army of demonic beasts!

If one were to ask where the most supreme blood food was, it would naturally be within the imperial palace. Perhaps at this moment, most of them were gathered at Wu Yinyao's wedding ceremony!

Wu Yinyao was in danger!

"Clang!"

A trident shot straight for Meng Yun's face, narrowly grazing his disheveled hair.

"Meng Yun, this king has been waiting for you here for a long time."

The trident shot back.

Meng Yun looked over, only to see in the distant sky, amidst the overwhelming blood-red demonic shadows, a humanoid, eagle-clawed monster smiling at him.

If that hideous expression could even be called a smile.

"Come on then." Meng Yun spread his palm, and the illusory image of a Bagua array disk appeared out of thin air.

He desperately wanted to get to Wu Yinyao, but clearly, without solving the current problem, the Demon Seed would not let him leave easily.

"Death Gate, open!"

The Bagua array pressed down towards the sky.

The trident in the demon bird's hand swelled against the wind, and the aura emanating from it even made Meng Yun's expression change.

That was, Innate Realm!