章 42: Chapter 17 Day of Awakening_3
The burnt corpse evil spirit slowly drifted past him.
No matter how many times it was torn apart by him, it showed no intention of paying him any mind, nor did it prepare for revenge; instead, it continued to move in the direction of the camp.
What on earth was there that could make it so persistent?
He only knew that if he didn't take the initiative to stop it, the evil spirit wouldn't bother with him, then he wouldn't have to risk his life.
Stay calm, stay calm, he told himself again. Cen Dongsheng looked at the stretch of bare bone extending from his arm, and for the first time, he did not immediately rush forward.
...
"Is it, over?"
Someone murmured.
The crowd watched the battle from dozens of meters away, feeling every second was torment, like hell.
But at last, as if signaling the fight was nearing its end, the roaring flames that lit up the entire residential building gradually went out.
"Who won?"
"Who is it?"
The person emerging from the darkness—
Was it him?
...No, it was it.
A charred body, dragging its crippled form, slowly approached the people, with its flames flickering dimly and without luster.
The people watched its figure in horror, falling into despair for a moment.
This ghost had indeed weakened... but it would take no effort at all to kill a group of ordinary people.
The curse power remaining in it was enough to ignite the flesh and blood of everyone, letting them die in despair.
The evil spirit dragged its feet, slowly approaching them, leaving a trail of charred footprints on the ground.
This short distance of a few dozen meters took several minutes to traverse, until it reached right in front of the people.
There was no way back.
...
An Zhizhen stood at the forefront, only a few meters away from the evil spirit.
It was looking at her; its hollow eyes burn with the embers of persistent rage.
But she didn't care about that.
"Dongsheng, where's Dongsheng?!"
She tiptoed and looked around, but all was dark and deep, with no one in sight. The bonfire had gone out, and the surrounding area had once again plunged into darkness where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, with no sign of anyone.
An Zhizhen's heart sank.
Based on previous experiences, Cen Dongsheng should have come out to stop it by now, but after a few minutes had passed... there was still no sign of him.
Was he dead?
Or was he so injured that he couldn't move?
Or...
"Hey."
A weary voice sounded not far away.
"I was just taking a short rest; you're in such a hurry."
A second figure emerged from the darkness.
But when the people behind saw what he looked like, they were surprised and doubtful; they could no longer recognize who this person was.
Except for An Zhizhen, in everyone's eyes, this person looked no different from the terrifying burnt corpse evil spirit, with no human shape to be seen.
Even the corpse was better off; at least it had a body to speak of. The second figure seemed to be just a tall skeleton, covered in soot.
He reached out with a skeletal hand and once again firmly grabbed the evil spirit's head, dragging it backward.
"Dong, Dongsheng...?!"
An Zhizhen could no longer contain her emotions. As she was about to approach, she saw the "skeleton" make a stopping gesture. He stopped his footsteps, seeming to hesitate for a moment—
Then, she heard him speak,
"Don't worry, Sister Zhi Zhen, this will all be over soon, I'll be right back."
With that, he left without looking back.
...
When Cen Dongsheng had dragged the burnt corpse evil spirit halfway, it suddenly began to struggle.
The last of the fire on its body "pfft" lit up and then went out, and then lit up again.
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This should have been the weakest moment for the adversary; however, at this instant, it felt like a resurgence, a fierce high temperature hidden beneath the dying embers, the power of the curse emanating from within the body, more ferocious than ever before.
"Ready to fight to the death?"
Cen Dongsheng's voice was hoarse, as if flames were about to erupt from his parched throat.
He revealed a sinister smile.
"Good, so am I."
```
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If one aspires to climb ever upward, until beholding the summit views of this world, what does he truly need?
Cen Dongsheng never thought he'd have the chance to face this day; the Cen Dongsheng of the past didn't have the luxury to ponder, only to draw answers from his own cognition and wisdom.
For example, reliable comrades, formidable power.
That's why he took the initiative to connect with An Zhizhen;
That's why he went in search of powerful Cursing Prohibitions.
A month after rebirth, he made considerable gains in both respects.
But is that truly enough?
Until a few minutes ago, in a fleeting moment, when he finally awoke from his hesitation, determined to stake his life to fulfill his promise to Sister Zhi Zhen, he suddenly realized—
To become powerful, external strength is certainly vital; but a heart that matches such strength is just as indispensable.
The prerequisite to being extraordinary is to hold a heart that refuses mediocrity.
Throughout the long eight years, in a time when the future looked bleak and dark, when the whole world was plunged into unprecedented turmoil and chaos, he fought desperately to survive.
He did survive, but he lived a mediocre and cautious life, dulling the sharpness of his heart.
Those famed powerhouses often have obsessions matching their strength, and he once mocked himself, thinking, "Maybe it's because I'm too normal, not crazy enough in the head, that I can't become strong."
But while those individuals truly are mad; on the other hand, they have shown the world the possibility of unprecedented paths.
Every person who reaches the pinnacle is trying to make the whole world revolve around their will.
Such arrogance, such audacity.
Such... desirability.
—He now knew what he was lacking.
"I should have realized it sooner..."
The bonfire tainted with curses rose once again, accompanied by billowing black smoke.
In the surging flames, resembling tidal waves, the man's flesh had completely disappeared, his bones blackened by the smoke.
No living being could survive in such conditions.
Yet he remained "alive"; not only alive, but he could still fight.
"Heh..."
Cen Dongsheng laughed deeply.
In the glow of the firelight, his bones flashed with a dull golden radiance, akin to some precious metal artifact.
—Indeed, the "Tiger Demon Cloak's" First Level Superpower had already awakened within him.
It simply needed a catalyst, an opportunity to break the confines of external flesh, before its bearer recognized it.
Just as Cen Dongsheng had surmised, the trigger condition was, in fact, quite "stringent" for his former self; but conversely, if he had maintained his composure during the recent brush with death, he should have noticed it sooner.
Fortunately, it was not too late.
Now that he harbored ambitions to scale the highest peak, what the once mediocre Cen Dong truly lacked...
Was the dauntless heart of fierce and courageous progress.
Cen Dongsheng stretched out his hands, tightly embracing the burnt corpse evil spirit.
A dense True Qi spread from the dark golden bones, clashing with the fire controlled by the burnt corpse, the two energies vying to consume and annihilate one another.
Water and fire incompatible, each attempting to snuff out the other, the burnt corpse's shell finally began to lose its shape, gradually vanishing like ash.
The ghosts began their final struggle, ferocious flames burrowed up from below, converging from all sides as if in volcanic magma, resolved to reduce Cen Dongsheng to ashes—
"Heh heh... Hahaha..."
Yet his laughter was unstoppable.
He had never felt death so close; and it wasn't forced upon him, but rather he was the one who approached death willingly.
For the old Cen Dongsheng, this would have been inconceivable; but on the other hand, he experienced an unprecedented sense of exhilaration—
"Heh heh... Hehehehahahahaha!"
A person who can dismiss life and death at a critical moment, that is when they seize control of their destiny in their own hands.
Amid the raging inferno, he laughed heartily.
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