Chapter Fourteen: The Demonic Sensation—Knowing the Path Within (Part Two)

The next day, at Wencheng Yunshan Cemetery.

Yi Beidou finished bathing and changing clothes, then came to a corner of the cemetery.

On a tombstone there was a black-and-white photo of a couple—the woman’s features gentle and elegant, the man’s thick eyebrows and bright eyes strikingly handsome.

These were Yi Beidou’s parents. After their tragic passing, their ashes were buried together.

“Father, mother, I have been an unfilial son. I can never repay the grace of giving me life and raising me; all I can do is bow my head in gratitude. Now that I have achieved freedom and success, all is well. You may rest in peace in the heavens.”

Yi Beidou’s tall figure knelt on the ground, his forehead striking the earth heavily as he solemnly performed three deep bows.

At this moment, he was not the liberated Heavenly Demon, nor the legendary fleshly saint—he was simply a child burdened with guilt toward his parents.

In those days, to cultivate the Freedom Heart Technique, he closed himself off. Yi Wen and his wife worried deeply, thinking that due to their busy careers and inadequate care, Yi Beidou was abducted by traffickers, which caused him to develop autism from the trauma.

Before their deaths, his parents tirelessly sought treatments for his autism, but Yi Beidou was unable to explain himself, nor to clarify many things.

Even when his parents passed away, in order not to let his own cultivation fail, he forced himself to cut off his sorrow without shedding a single tear, never daring to visit the cemetery for fear of stirring up grief and triggering a demonic calamity.

This was the greatest ordeal on his path of cultivation, nearly shattering his mind.

Only now, having achieved freedom, could he come here.

Having finished his bows, Yi Beidou lay prostrate for a long time before rising again. His complexion had returned completely to calm; no trace of emotion stirred in his eyes.

He had shed the identity of a mere son and returned to the great Dao.

Worldly affairs were temporarily behind him; it was time to attend to his own matters.

Walking out of the cemetery, standing before the gate, Yi Beidou’s gaze fell upon a corner of the road.

There, a plain van was parked. Zhou Baiwei, along with several operatives from the Special Security Bureau, followed him closely.

They were concerned he might cause trouble, which he could understand, but he did not like the feeling of being constantly monitored.

Retracting his gaze, his spirit settled.

He did not know his destination, nor the direction he was headed.

Twenty years of cultivation had left him unfamiliar with the true nature of the Donghua martial world.

But that did not matter—his intuition would guide him.

The Freedom Heart Technique had developed his brain in a unique way.

While humans relied on sight and smell to find food, the Heavenly Demons hunted prey by intuition.

They could single out from the vast crowds those worthy of “hunting” or “obstruction.”

This was the so-called “Heavenly Demon Sensory.”

With Yi Beidou’s brain capacity enhanced by the Freedom Heart Technique, this ability had reached a terrifying level.

Those deemed prey by the Free Heavenly Demon could hardly be ordinary.

That was what he now sought.

Somehow, he seemed to understand the direction. Walking alone, he took a step and vanished into the forest beside the road.

“Captain Zhou! He’s entered the forest!”

The Special Security Bureau agents inside the van shouted.

---

“Not good!”

Zhou Baiwei’s face changed immediately. She opened the door and dashed off at high speed.

The forest was dense with thick underbrush and uneven terrain, difficult to traverse. For some hikers, it was a challenge demanding thorough preparation against wilderness dangers.

But Yi Beidou moved as if walking on flat ground, single-handed and lightly clothed, at an incredible speed. To him, forest, highway, or mountain were all the same—straight ahead.

At first, Zhou Baiwei could still detect traces of Yi Beidou in the forest, but as the distance grew, she soon lost all sense of his direction.

Completely lost him.

For ordinary people, with training, traveling 200 li in a day on flat roads was not difficult. Martial masters, with strong physiques, could easily cover 300 to 400 li daily, but complex terrain would inevitably slow them down.

Fleshly saints could achieve the legendary 800 li a day, and even in mountainous forests, 500 li a day was no problem.

And that was just regular travel—going all out could surpass those speeds.

“Captain, the drone lost him. The forest terrain is complicated, and his swift maneuvering left us unable to keep track after a short while!”

A voice of self-reproach came over Zhou Baiwei’s radio.

“Forget it, it’s not your fault. He can travel 800 li a day, crossing mountains as if on flat ground. In this wild area, if he doesn’t want us following, none of us can keep up. Report this to headquarters.”

Zhou Baiwei sighed, realizing whether she could keep up depended entirely on his mood.

This man had methods to survive without food for a week or even half a month after a single meal, traversed mountains and cliffs as if walking on flat land, and had the ability to travel 800 li a day.

If he wanted to hide deliberately, disappear into mountains and rivers, almost no one could capture him.

He could go anywhere in the world—one reason the state feared him.

“Understood, we’ll report immediately.”

The incredulous voice of a subordinate came from the radio. Though they knew the strength of many martial artists, this was the first time they faced someone of this caliber, utterly beyond reason.

After three or four hours of walking, Yi Beidou had already left Wencheng’s jurisdiction.

He did not follow roads but cut straight through terrain, moving faster than some vehicles.

Rustle, rustle.

Reaching a certain spot, Yi Beidou stepped out of the forest and suddenly stopped at a bend in the road, looking up at the sky.

A mountain wind stirred, dark clouds gathered rapidly, and rain began to fall.

Even fleshly saints found the changes of Heaven and Earth unpredictable. Compared to the vast sky above, one felt insignificant.

Fleshly saints were merely fleeting passersby.

This was not his limit, nor should it be humanity’s.

Screech!

Suddenly, a piercing screech of brakes sounded as a red sports car took the turn at high speed. Yi Beidou stood in the blind spot of the corner mirror. The driver, clearly not expecting a person there, slammed on the brakes instinctively.

“Why are you standing in such a dangerous spot?”

Seeing Yi Beidou unharmed, the red sports car pulled over. The door opened, and a young woman with a fit figure and sunglasses stepped out.

“Sorry, that was my fault.”

Yi Beidou spoke sincerely. He had just been distracted by the changes in the heavens and the realization of his own smallness. He had nearly stood in the middle of the road. Even though he knew the driver couldn’t harm him, it was indeed his fault for causing trouble.

“Are you a hiker traveling light? How come you came to this wild place with nothing?”

The woman sized Yi Beidou up. Tall and dressed in casual sportswear, she assumed he was a solo hiker on a light trek along the road.

“Something like that. I’m on a journey.”

Yi Beidou nodded.

“It’s raining now, not safe out here. Where are you headed? I’m going toward Qingmu Mountain. If it’s on your way, I can give you a ride.”

Qingmu Mountain...

Originally, Yi Beidou was just following his intuition and didn’t know his destination or even which jurisdiction he was in. But hearing that name from the woman, a sudden sense of clarity and fortune came over him.

That must be his goal.

“I’m planning to go to Qingmu Mountain as well.”

Yi Beidou said.

“Perfect, hop in. I’ll give you a lift.”

Li Qingdai waved her hand cheerfully.

Yi Beidou was alone in this wilderness, and his behavior a bit odd. Li Qingdai was a young and beautiful woman, who under normal circumstances would be cautious, but she felt no fear.

She was skilled in martial arts; three or five strong men couldn’t get close to her. Though Yi Beidou was tall, he appeared loose and lacked any martial posture, full of openings. She was confident she could take him down with one move.

If he had ill intent, she’d actually be glad—to test her skills, punish evildoers, and maintain social order.

Hearing Li Qingdai’s words, Yi Beidou felt it was fate and did not refuse, taking the passenger seat.

The sports car started again and hit the road.

“Why are you hiking to Qingmu Mountain? To climb and sightsee?”

While driving, Li Qingdai asked curiously, sensing something strange about Yi Beidou.

“I’m going there to learn.”

Yi Beidou answered honestly.

“Oh? You want to apprentice and learn our Qingmu Heart Fist?”

Li Qingdai exclaimed, tilting her head to size him up.

“Qingmu Heart Fist? Something like that.”

Yi Beidou nodded. He was indeed going to learn a martial art, so this was not inaccurate.

“You have good taste. Throughout Han Province, there are many authentic martial schools, but our Qingmu Heart Fist is among the very best. Our lineage has over two hundred years of history. A hundred years ago, during the national crisis, we even produced a fleshly saint—the pinnacle of martial arts. Do you know what becoming a fleshly saint means?”

Li Qingdai spoke proudly.

“Fleshly saint? I know. I am one.”

Yi Beidou answered truthfully.