The Wind Rises Overseas, the Heavenly Devil Arts

Han Li had barely sat down when the sound of tearing air came from the distant sky, and three Nascent Soul cultivators, Wan Tianming among them, descended from the heavens.

They glanced at Profound Bone and the Azure-clad Elder, then with a cold smile, found another spot to gather, and began speaking in low voices. What secret matter they were discussing was unknown.

At this sight, Extreme Yin Patriarch gave a soft snort through his nose, then immediately closed his eyes to rest and gather his spirit.

Han Li could not manage Extreme Yin’s composed demeanor. He fixed his gaze on one direction, as if observing something. Yet any discerning eye that paid close attention to his expression would notice that his vision was slightly unfocused—his mind was elsewhere, clearly preoccupied.

After the time it took for a meal, five or six more cultivators arrived, one after another, drifting down on beams of light.

Among them were the two white-robed Star Palace elders, who had also arrived as if nothing was amiss. The only Nascent Soul cultivator still absent was Man Brutal Beard.

After waiting another half hour, Man Brutal Beard’s figure was still nowhere to be seen.

Now Wan Tianming and the others cast strange looks toward Extreme Yin’s group. Extreme Yin and the Confucian-robed elder, however, still wore unperturbed expressions.

Han Li was close to the two of them, and he secretly noticed that beneath their calm exteriors, a flicker of anxiety betrayed itself in their eyes.

Without Man Brutal Beard, the two demonic-path elders were clearly not a match for the righteous-path cultivators, and they had begun to worry.

Time passed, little by little.

Extreme Yin Patriarch and the other elder finally lost even their surface composure. Their expressions turned grim and fierce, and they began to gaze upward frequently.

Although this space seemed to have no cycle of day and night, always appearing sunny and bright, Han Li estimated that roughly a day’s time had almost passed.

Could it be that Man Brutal Beard—the number-one combatant of the demonic path within the Void Heaven Palace—had truly met with some accident? Han Li, too, began to feel uncertain.

If such a thing really occurred, he had no idea whether it would prove a blessing or a curse to him.

Just as Han Li and Extreme Yin’s group were unable to relax, and the righteous-path cultivators’ gazes were growing increasingly hostile, a shrill, piercing cry came from beyond the sky. The cry rolled in like a towering wave of the sea—one crest higher than the last, one assault more ferocious than the one before—shaking every cultivator seated there, revealing their faces of shock.

As soon as Extreme Yin Patriarch and the Confucian-robed elder heard this sound, their expressions relaxed simultaneously, and they exchanged a knowing glance, smiling at each other.

After a soft laugh, the Azure-clad Elder murmured:

“It seems Man Brutal Beard is in a good mood. He must have gained some unexpected reward.”

“Hmph! What unexpected surprise could there be here? At most, he picked the Longevity Fruit smoothly,” Extreme Yin shook his head, unconcerned.

Hearing this, the Confucian-robed elder smiled faintly and was about to say something more when a ball of golden light appeared at the edge of the distant sky. That ball of light howled in like a heavenly meteor, and in the blink of an eye, it was already above the gathered cultivators.

The elder immediately fell silent.

A strange gleam flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he stared at the figure within the light, his heart trembling inwardly.

In truth, it was not just him. Every other cultivator seeing the majesty of the ‘Heavenly Devil Arts’ for the first time wore a look of shock on their faces.

Because Man Brutal Beard, surrounded by a golden radiance, looked utterly grotesque—fearsome as a demon god, inspiring dread just from his image.

At this moment, not only was his entire body emitting a blinding golden light, but the limbs and face that were exposed outside his robes were covered in thick, copper-coin-sized golden scales.

These scales gleamed like pure gold, shimmering with a cold, penetrating light. Anyone could see at a glance they were incredibly tough, seemingly indestructible.

“That’s the Heavenly Devil Arts? It really does seem terrifying!” On Extreme Yin’s other side, Wu Chou drew in a sharp breath, speaking somewhat dazedly, as if Man Brutal Beard’s appearance had given him quite a fright.

“Hmph, it’s just a turtle shell! When the Profound Yin Grand Art is cultivated to its peak, it is no weaker than the Heavenly Devil Arts,” Extreme Yin said, casting a cold glance at Wu Chou with some displeasure.

This remark suddenly reminded Wu Chou that his grandfather was no ally of this Man Brutal Beard. Praising him so openly was only asking to make Extreme Yin Patriarch unhappy.

Immediately, he awkwardly agreed and dared not say another word.

At that moment, Man Brutal Beard in the sky swept his gaze over the scene. In an instant, he spotted Extreme Yin and the others, and without any courtesy, he plummeted straight down.

A thunderous crash rang out, shaking the nearby ground slightly.

Man Brutal Beard had landed right beside Extreme Yin and the others. Then, the scales on his body quickly receded, the golden light faded, and gradually disappeared.

“It seems Brother Man has reaped no small gains! Otherwise, he would not be in such high spirits,” the Confucian-robed elder said, clasping his fist in a salute with a smile, before Man Brutal Beard had even spoken.

“Haha! I did gain something. I killed an Ice-Snow Toad near the Longevity Fruit tree. Its inner core is immensely beneficial to my Heavenly Devil Arts.” Man Brutal Beard, seemingly not yet recovered from his excitement, actually blurted out the answer the moment the elder asked. This caught Extreme Yin Patriarch and the others completely off guard, and for a moment, they did not know if what he said was true or false. They exchanged uncertain glances.

“Then we really must congratulate Fellow Daoist Man. If the Heavenly Devil Arts can still improve, Brother Man might be able to stand against the Twin Saints and Six Paths,” the Azure-clad Elder said, recovering first and putting on a smile.

Then Extreme Yin also spoke a few words of congratulations, his expression normal.

Man Brutal Beard let out a dark chuckle and was about to say something more when his eyes suddenly fixed on Han Li.

Then a strange look appeared on his face. A peculiar gleam flashed in his eyes, and an astonishing aura suddenly exploded from him.

The one directly affected, Han Li, immediately felt a heavy pressure on his body. His limbs seemed weighed down by a thousand pounds, and he could not move a single hair. What alarmed him most was that, under the other’s gaze, he felt as if every part of his body and mind had been seen through, leaving him with a chilling sensation.

Han Li’s face turned ashen. Without a moment’s thought, the Great Derivative Art began to circulate on its own, firmly protecting his mind and heart. A trace of color returned to his face, and his body seemed to recover its normal function.

“Oh?” Man Brutal Beard could not help but show a flash of surprise.

Then a hint of delight surfaced on his face. He was about to make another move when Extreme Yin Patriarch flickered and appeared in front of Han Li.

“Brother Man, what is the meaning of this? Why bully a junior, and one who is my disciple at that?” Extreme Yin asked, neutralizing Man Brutal Beard’s aura, his expression unreadable.

“Your disciple?” Man Brutal Beard seemed stunned for a moment, but his face immediately darkened.

“Extreme Yin, are you trying to play me for a fool? Aside from that brat Wu Chou, when did you gain another disciple in the Void Heaven Palace?” He swept a contemptuous glance over Wu Chou and said without any courtesy, his demeanor clearly indicating he was ready for a fight if things did not add up.

“Hehe, Brother Man, you misunderstand. This young friend Han Li only formally acknowledged Fellow Daoist Extreme Yin as his master today. It is only natural that you would be unaware of this,” the Azure-clad Elder quickly interjected with a laugh to explain.

Han Li was far too important to them now for anything to go wrong.

“Extreme Yin, you’re accepting a disciple here? I must be hearing things!” Even after hearing the elder’s explanation, Man Brutal Beard still sounded astonished, then examined Han Li twice more.

“It is merely a probationary disciple—no formal ceremony has been held. But this young friend Han is indeed a man of Extreme Yin Island now. I hope Brother Man will show some leniency,” Extreme Yin Patriarch said, looking at Man Brutal Beard with a faint smile.

Man Brutal Beard blinked. He stared at Extreme Yin and the Confucian-robed elder for a moment, then looked at Han Li again. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.

“Good, very good. You’ve chosen a fine disciple. Leaving everything else aside, his spiritual sense is already several times stronger than that grandson of yours. Raised with care, he has great potential. Haha, great potential indeed!” Man Brutal Beard’s expression brightened as he said this, and his final words seemed to carry some deeper meaning.

Extreme Yin and the Confucian-robed elder looked at each other, baffled, with no idea what he meant.

“What does Brother Man mean by this?” Extreme Yin Patriarch asked, frowning, his voice slow.

“Nothing at all. Your probationary disciple is not bad. Are you interested in letting me have him? I think this boy might be better suited to cultivating my Heavenly Devil Arts,” Man Brutal Beard said, unconcerned.

“Brother Man, you must be joking. Young friend Han only just joined Extreme Yin’s tutelage. How could he be casually transferred? You are certainly speaking in jest!”

When these words were spoken, both Extreme Yin and the elder were startled. The Azure-clad Elder quickly picked up the thread of conversation.

“Heh! If you won’t give him up, forget it. Even if I tried to take a disciple, I’d find it too much trouble! But, Brother Azure, I’m trying to poach Extreme Yin’s disciple—why are you getting so worked up? Could it be that this boy really has something unspeakable about him?” Man Brutal Beard gave a cold laugh, stroked his beard, and then let his voice turn icy.

When this was said, the elder’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly recovered his normal composure and glanced at Extreme Yin Patriarch.