My Celestial Ascension

"Indeed," Yuan nodded, a proud grin forming on his face, fully aware of the power he wielded to slay the sinister creature before him. "And to defeat you, I need to get closer."

"Hahaha! You're an amusing human! Normally, people tremble in fear at the mere mention of a 'Demon,' and when they see one, they run for their lives." The demon laughed loudly, an amused look spreading across its creepy face.

"I've even seen some soil themselves while fleeing—that was the most entertaining sight!"

After a moment of laughter, the demon abruptly stopped, narrowing its eyes at Yuan with a vicious grin. "All jokes aside, do you really think you can defeat me with that weak attack from earlier? You couldn't even kill me despite decapitating my head. This is why I despise humans more than any other race."

The demon glared at Yuan with clear disdain.

Yuan remained silent, fully aware that the demon was trying to intimidate him. Calmly, he continued approaching the demon, his expression steady and unfazed.

Sensing this, the demon felt an unfamiliar and unsettling sense of danger. It unconsciously took a few steps back. "Very well. I commend your bravery, human, though it's foolish in my—"

Before the demon could finish, Yuan dashed forward, appearing in front of the creature with his sword, Empyreal Oblivion, raised high in the sky.

"One Sword, One Strike!"

Despite the powerful aura emanating from Empyreal Oblivion, the demon remained standing, grinning smugly with its arms crossed. It was confident that such an attack couldn't harm it. Even if decapitated again, the demon knew its head would regenerate in mere seconds. After all, it was a demon—an immortal being, impervious to ordinary attacks.

BOOM!

The *Empyreal Oblivion* cleaved the demon in two from head to toe, slicing through its body as easily as cutting through butter.

Plop! The demon collapsed to the ground once again, its blood staining the earth a dark red.

However, only a few seconds later, the demon's regenerative powers kicked in. Its body melted into a puddle of blood before reforming, with the demon's head emerging first, followed by the rest of its body. It returned to its original state, completely unharmed.

Yuan, Xi Meili, and Fang Xiaoyan stared in shock at the strange sight, watching the demon regenerate without a single injury.

"Hahaha! Even after all my warnings, you keep making the same mistake! Truly pathetic and stupid!" The demon sneered, an arrogant grin on its face. "Even if you strike me a thousand times, it won't be enough to defeat me!"

"Empyreal Severing Sword Strike!"

Without wasting a second, Yuan unleashed his strongest technique. A massive beam of energy, infused with his Sword Aura, shot toward the demon, making the attack ten times more powerful, faster, and more destructive.

This time, the demon didn't stand idly by. Sensing the dreadful power of the Empyreal Severing Sword Strike, it dodged to the side, but not quickly enough. The attack was too fast, and although it avoided most of it, the beam obliterated half of the demon's body, leaving it trembling in fear.

Fang Xiaoyan's eyes widened as she noticed the demon retreating, panic clearly visible in its expression.

She couldn't help but wonder: If the demon hadn't dodged in time, would it have been completely obliterated? Or would it have regenerated as before?

"That's right, hubby! Teach that ugly thing a lesson for being so arrogant!" Xi Meili shouted with a huge grin on her face.

Yuan glanced back at Xi Meili. "Leave everything to me. I was just testing the rumors about demons. It seems they can't be killed with normal attacks."

"Who do you think you are to test my abilities, human? You're nothing but livestock for us—demons! This is unforgivable. I'll make you pay for this!" The demon roared, a disdainful look twisting its grotesque features.

"In that case, why did you try to dodge the attack and retreat to a safe distance?" Yuan asked with a smirk. "I thought you were confident in your regeneration powers. Then why do I see fear in your eyes?"

"Don't tell me you're starting to fear a mere human like me?" Yuan taunted.

"You…! You dare, you mere human brat…!" Suddenly, a tyrannical aura exploded from the demon's body, its expression contorting with rage. Yuan's words had humiliated the demon, striking at its pride—the pride of a demon.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING BRAT! NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LOOK DOWN ON US—DEMONS!"

The demon glared at Yuan, rushing toward him with its long hands spread wide, like the claws of a bloodthirsty beast.

"I'm going to rip that smug tongue out of your mouth and tear your limbs off one by one before I chew your bones, human!"

Yuan swiftly dodged to the side, evading the demon's attack with ease. Being a lower-rank demon, the creature was no match for Yuan's superior reflexes and agility.

Whoosh!

After dodging a few more of the demon's assaults, Yuan decided it was time to go on the offensive. With his sword imbued with Sword Aura, he launched a series of strikes.

The demon's once-unstoppable regeneration weakened significantly under the effects of Yuan's Sword Aura, leaving it vulnerable to his relentless attacks. Seeing this, Fang Xiaoyan couldn't help but be impressed. Yuan's strength was astonishing—he might be the only human capable of such feats, aside from the one who originally developed the Demon Slaying techniques.

"Are you stupid, human? Can't you see? Your attacks are useless! Even if you slice me apart tens of thousands of times, I will never die!" The demon roared in frustration.

Yuan paid no attention to its words and continued his relentless assault with *Empyreal Oblivion*. Every time his blade sliced through the demon, its body would reform almost instantly, as though it were made of liquid. It was like trying to cut water—the moment a slash was made, it healed just as fast.

'Is there no limit to its regeneration?' Yuan wondered as he effortlessly dodged yet another swipe of the demon's claws, aimed at his stomach.

"Tsk." The demon clicked its tongue in irritation, realizing how easily Yuan was dodging its attacks.

"Blood Manipulation: Blood Daggers!"

Suddenly, the demon conjured two razor-sharp daggers from its own blood and swung them toward Yuan's neck.

"Whoa! So you've got some tricks besides just regenerating, huh?" Yuan said, mildly surprised by the sudden appearance of the blood daggers. Yet, he effortlessly dodged the attack.

"Damn human! I'm tired of this! Now DIE!"

In a fit of rage, the demon summoned dozens of blood daggers that hovered in the air, before launching them all toward Yuan at high speed.

Swish! Swish!

Yuan moved with precision, sidestepping and avoiding every single dagger the demon hurled at him. His fluid movements infuriated the demon even further.

"Why won't you just DIE?!" the demon shrieked, seething with fury. If other demons saw how a mere human was making a fool of him, he'd become a laughingstock among his kind.

'No... I can't let this continue... I can't let this human toy with me and humiliate me like this... I must end him quickly and devour his essence to become stronger.' The demon thought, glaring at Yuan with hatred burning in its sinister eyes.

"Blood Daggers!"

With a sharp gesture, the demon summoned another barrage of daggers, sending them flying toward Yuan at incredible speed, aiming to tear him apart.

"Empyreal Severing Sword Strike!"

Yuan swung his sword once, and with a single powerful motion, he obliterated every dagger hurled at him. The attack was so potent that it cut through the demon, slicing its body in half once again.

Just as before, the demon's body reformed in an instant, but this time, its expression betrayed panic, fear flickering in its eyes.

'What is with this human? How can he dodge my attacks so easily and still manage to damage me?' the demon wondered, visibly shaken.

Frustrated by its failure, the demon conjured hundreds of blood daggers and launched them all at once in a desperate attempt to overwhelm Yuan.

Swish!

Yuan, with smooth and graceful movements, evaded each dagger effortlessly, leaving the demon in disbelief. For the first time, it encountered a human who could push it to such a state. The sheer frustration gnawed at the demon's pride.

Suddenly, the demon entered a berserk rage, attacking furiously, clawing and swinging relentlessly.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Yuan parried the onslaught with ease using Empyreal Oblivion. Then, with a swift motion, he lifted his leg and kicked the demon square in the face, sending it flying several meters.

From a distance, Fang Xiaoyan and Xi Meili observed the fierce battle, puzzled as to why Yuan hadn't yet used the demon-slaying technique to finish the fight.

"Heavenly Sanctuary!"

Yuan activated his domain technique, immediately restricting the demon's movements. A mysterious pressure filled the area, causing the demon's body to slow in shock.

"This is your end, demon," Yuan said, his voice calm and resolute.

"Demon Slaying Slash!"

Yuan stabbed *Empyreal Oblivion* into the demon's chest, the sword emanating an ancient and profound aura. His focus was on the demon, unaware of the ancient golden symbols appearing on the blade.

"Huh?"

At first, the demon felt no pain—only a slight numbness where the sword pierced. It looked down and saw the massive sword embedded in its chest.

"Do you think stabbing me in the chest will kill me? Hahaha! You really are—" The demon stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong. Its body was stiffening, the wound turning to stone before crumbling like sand.

Panic filled the demon's expression as it watched its body slowly turning to stone and disintegrating into dust. Confusion and terror overtook it.

"W-What have you done to me? What did you do to me, human?!" the demon roared in desperation.

"Oh, I just found a technique inside the pagoda and thought I'd test it on you," Yuan replied with a smirk.

"W-What... What kind of technique...?"

Yuan's smirk widened. "A demon-slaying technique, of course."